The West Virginia Army National Guard's (WVARNG) Company C, 1st Battalion, 150th Aviation Regiment (1-150th Assault Battalion) completed 'bambi bucket' training for three aircrews consisting of 12 Soldiers at Camp Dawson Oct. 10, 2019.
The training comes at a critical moment when West Virginia is experiencing ongoing drought conditions throughout the state.
"One of the greatest benefits of the National Guard is that our men and women are constantly training to be able to respond to any incident that our State may face," said Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, Adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard. "Just this week alone, we have readied a large group of Soldiers for wildland fire response, which is a skill we typically don't have to train for in West Virginia. With our Wheeling unit leading the charge on this aerial firefighting training as well, we are better prepared as a state to respond to an incident, should it arise."