A pair of Army National Guard Black Hawk Helicopters carrying the Chief of Staff of the Army (UTNG) and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force (UTANG) landed in Price to visit the armories/units of the 1457th Battalion. This includes 624th Engineer Company in Price and Vernal. Also part of the 1457 is the 118th Engineer Company in Blanding and Salt Lake City and the 116th Engineer Company located in Spanish Fork and Manti. FFC Company in American Fork and the HHC Company in American Fork round off the 1457 Battalion.
Because these units are spaced across the entire state, the most efficient way for military staff to travel to each location is by helicopter (Black Hawks). The general had to take a leave of absence but in his place the Chief of Staff for both the Army and Air Force UTANG hopped on board for the visits. The military leadership that was aboard the Black Hawks included:
Colonel Richard Miller (Chief of Staff Army), Colonel Osborn (Air Force), Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Burnhope (Army), LTC Davis (Air Force), LTC Turley (Army), LTC Green (Army), LTC Anderson (Army), Colonel Osborn
Major Wolf (Army), Command Sergeant Major Rothwell (Army) and Command Sergeant Major Smith (Army).
After landing on USU Eastern soccer field, Carbon County Recreation arrived in vans and took the military personnel to lunch. When they returned, they went through the armory looking at the structure, management of equipment and soldiers, supply, orientation, physical fitness, sleeping areas and maintenance bays.
Once approval of the facility was given, the Chief of Staff called for the Black Hawks to return and proceeded to the Vernal armory to inspect the facility for the 624th EN CO before returning to the main base in northern Utah.
Price residents were drawn to the location when they heard the noise to take photos and greet the soldiers in the helicopters.
