NG drops 1M gallons on La. fires

NEW ORLEANS - National Guard helicopter crews from Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama have dropped more than 1.1M gallons of water on wildfires in western Louisiana since Aug. 23. 

The helicopter crews continue the firefighting mission in Beauregard, Sabine and Vernon parishes in coordination with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, the Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s office and local agencies. 

The helicopter crews use buckets to draw water from any open water source and carry and drop it onto fires. 

The augmentation to the LANG aerial firefighting efforts, through Emergency Management Assistance Compact support, has resulted in a rotation of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and CH-47 Chinook helicopters that have provided over 385 flight hours from the time LANG assets were activated in response to the wildfires. (LANG 09/01/23) National Guard Fights Louisiana Wildfires From the Air | Article | The United States Army  

First Flight III destroy to be commissioned in Tampa

SAN DIEGO - The future USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) will join the active fleet on Oct. 7 with a commissioning ceremony in Tampa, Fla. 

DDG 125 will be the Navy’s first Flight III destroyer with notable technological upgrades. The Flight III upgrades are centered on the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar and incorporates upgrades to the electrical power and cooling capacity. 

DDG 125 is named for Pfc. Jack Lucas, who served in the Marines during WWII, earning the Medal of Honor for his heroism at Iwo Jima, when he was just 17 years old. 

In 1961, he returned to military service as a captain in the Army and trained younger troops headed for Vietnam. Lucas passed away on June 5, 2008, in Hattiesburg, Miss. 

Ruby Lucas, widow of the ship’s namesake, and philanthropist Cathy Reynolds are the ship’s sponsors. 

Following commissioning, USS Jack H. Lucas will transit to its homeport of San Diego. (Naval Base San Diego 09/01/23) USS Jack H Lucas to Commission in Tampa, Florida > United States Navy > News Stories