GARDNER, Kan. — If you live in the Kansas City area, you might have noticed an unusual sight in the sky on Sunday. Eleven CH-47 Chinook helicopters took off from New Century AirCenter near Gardner, Kansas, in a final formation flight.
An Army Transformation Initiative ordered the Army Reserve Aviation Command to inactivate its rotary-wing units and assets. The initiative decommissions New Century AirCenter.
You never forget the sound of a Chinook, according to veteran Rose Youngs.
"This is like a huge part of us, it's just going in the grave," she said.
Both Rose and her husband, Robert, were part of Bravo Company 7-158th GSAB at the air base.
"We got married here on a Chinook back in 1987," Robert Youngs said.
The couple said their eyes were filled with tears as they drove to New Century AirCenter on Sunday.
“Just flying the Chinook, I don’t even know how to word it; it’s just the feeling," Robert Youngs said.
Families of unit members and the greater Kansas City community gathered to honor the unit and say goodbye to the Chinooks.
"Today closes a huge chapter for our family," said Adelle Williams, whose husband is an active unit member. "This has been a part of my life since we've been married, and we've almost been married 20 years."
Alongside Williams were family members of those who were involved with Extortion 17. Unit members like Olathe native Spencer Duncan were killed when their Chinook was shot down in Afghanistan in 2011.
"It was the most loss of life in a single day during the Afghan War," said company commander Ryan O'Neil.
O'Neil said Sunday was bittersweet. While many were saddened by the final flight, many also recalled fond memories from all the flights before, like the love story of Robert and Rose.
"I remember it was a dark, rainy day, and I had nothing else to do, and there was this blonde over in the corner," Robert Youngs said.
"Oh, he saw me in a flight suit and fell in love," Rose Youngs said.
"Oh, well, yeah," Robert Youngs responded.
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KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
