Thrill ride

After sweeping over the Trowbridge parking lot and touching down in a large field bordering Old 63, the rotors of the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter slowly came to a stop. Missouri Army National Guard Sgt. Kirt Orlando emerged from the cargo hold and filed out with a four-man crew to address the battalion gathered on the ridge above.

“Who needs earplugs?” Orlando asked. A slew of hands shot into the air from a sea of camouflage.

The helicopter, flown in from the Army Aviation Flight Facility in Jefferson City, carried 85 members of the MU Navy ROTC program during several trips on tours of greater Columbia. It is only the second time in recent years the midshipmen have had the opportunity to gain hands-on aviation experience, according to Capt. Greg Field.

“It was awesome,” Midshipman 2nd Class Jason Highley said. “We went as far as the mall and all over campus. It was like a sightseeing roller coaster.”

Gunnery Sgt. Cortez Pree described the Black Hawk as “the Cadillac of military birds,” providing a much smoother ride than most he has encountered during his 15 years in the Marine Corps. Field said the opportunity proves valuable for those who plan to pursue flight training during their military service.

The training exercise was a change of pace from the battalion’s regular Wednesday, two-hour leadership lab, which usually involves training in a classroom setting.

After completion of the Navy ROTC program and graduation from college, students will be commissioned as officers in the U.S. Navy or Marine Corps.