Oregon Guard HH-60 crew drops water on Hagen Fire, saving homes instead of Soldiers
Staff Sgt. Kyle Sanders, a crew chief with Golf Company, 1st Battalion, 189th Aviation, flew his first wildland firefighting water bucket mission Aug. 10, 2026, after 26 years in the Oregon Army National Guard. Sanders and his HH-60M Black Hawk crew, alongside a Cal Fire military helicopter manager, rotated through Langdon Lake dip sites and struck a spot fire on the Hagen Fire in Umatilla County. As of Aug. 13, the Oregon National Guard had approximately 140 personnel activated statewide, with aircrews delivering more than 676,000 gallons of water across 632 bucket drops this fire season.
Staff Sgt. Kyle Sanders, a crew chief with Golf Company, 1st Battalion, 189th Aviation, flew his first wildland firefighting water bucket mission Aug. 10, 2026, after 26 years in the Oregon Army National Guard. Sanders and his HH-60M Black Hawk crew, alongside a Cal Fire military helicopter manager, rotated through Langdon Lake dip sites and struck a spot fire on the Hagen Fire in Umatilla County. As of Aug. 13, the Oregon National Guard had approximately 140 personnel activated statewide, with aircrews delivering more than 676,000 gallons of water across 632 bucket drops this fire season.
