Photo Essay: Oregon Guard crew chief makes first water drop on Hagen Fire

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 years of training and standby without the opportunity to drop water on a fire. This photo essay follows Sanders and his HH-60M Black Hawk crew through a day of water bucket operations supporting wildland firefighting efforts on the Hagen Fire in Umatilla County, Oregon