“Get to tha choppa!”
If this headline had appeared on April 1st instead of May 4th nobody would have taken it seriously. That’s just how outlandish an act three Montana National Guardsmen pulled off last week outside of Big Timber, Montana.
The three men in question, landed a Blackhawk helicopter on private land, jumped out and scooped up brown elk sheds worth thousands of dollars. Neighbors called the ranch owners and asked, “Do you know there is an Army helicopter on your land picking up elk antlers?'”
From there the rancher called local authorities and the investigation began. However, things got more bizarre once the men realized they’d been caught.
McMullen is right, these men weren’t teenagers, all three are in their 30s and entrusted with a very expensive, tax-payer funded helicopter with absolutely zero right to set the machine down on private property. They should have thought it through.
When it comes to collecting brown elk sheds, an awful lot of folks, even normally law-abiding, standup citizens, have their discernment shaken by lust and greed. It seems the allure of elk shed antlers clouds the judgement of even our country’s finest. It’s a sad deal and one that I could rant about to no end but I’ll spare you a diatribe and simply ask… what’s your take?
What punishment should be handed down to these three men who chose to break the law using military equipment instead of performing their sworn duty and bruising the tenuous trust western folks have for the government.
For what it’s worth, read the below release from Major General J. Peter Hronek, adjutant general of the Montana National Guard.
“I am aware of an alleged incident involving a Montana Army National Guard helicopter landing on private property without authorization,” reads the statement from Hronek, regarding unauthorized military aircraft use on Wednesday, May 4. “An internal investigation is underway, and appropriate adverse and/or administrative action will take place if the allegations are determined to be true. if true, this behavior does not align with the values of the Montana National Guard. Misuse of military equipment erodes the trust we strive to uphold with the people of Montana. Every member of the Montana National Guard is expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, responsibility, and respect for the law.”
11 comments
Their careers should be OVER!
Pilot and co-dog should loose flight priv for at least 6 months as punnishment. And crew be charged with trespass, unlawfully operating an aircraft, insubordination and whatever else applies. Bad decisions face consequences. FA—FO…
Well as an easterner with trips to the west. I must say the response here are stunning. These are antlers, not live elk. They are waste material of a an elk herd. Yes they hold monetary value , but for what? Seriously “ thousands” knife handles, chandeliers?? What?
I think this is way over board to “ dishonorably discharge” a crew for a stupid act. No one was hurt, the landowner did not even know until called. The commander said antlers would be returned. There was no real damage here. And, if you want to put such a high value in elk antlers. WHY WERE THEY STILL OUT THERE? If they are that valuable.
This crew will be in enough hot water by military justice , fit unauthorized landing. Let the military deal the punishment. Stop being whining princesses . Geez 🙄
Charge them with trespassing & theft to start.
Then charge them for fuel & hourly rate on chopper.
Then dishonorable discharge & revoke pilot license…forever.
They’ll get the usual “slap on the wrist” punishment. The entire episode will be swept under the rug. Case Closed!
It’s not a great look for them or our military that is for certain. However, their careers should NOT be over (that’s a tad harsh), but they should pay a hefty fine for poaching the antlers, and for trespassing, and have their hunting and shed hunting privileges suspended for at least 5 years, plus one year for every antler they poached. People do stupid things, but this was not the poaching a live animal and no one got hurt. The above penalties are no slap-on-the-wrist. Hopefully, they learned their lessons.
I’ve seen this kind of behavior many times as I worked for DOD/DON for 36 years as a civilian. Drunk on the job, totaling a government vehicle. You name it. They should be fired but they won’t. One of them has friends in high places. Slap on the wrist is all they will get. RR
My son is coastguard and has told me stories he know from seeing it that coastguard helicopters in Alaska pick it shed all the time and then store them on cutters until they go to port.
As a retired US Navy F/A-18 pilot, aside from our skills, the most important quality we posses is our judgment. Without judgment, we are doomed. If guilty, they should recieve an admin discharge. Dishonorable discharge is reserved for heinous crimes, but this definitely rises to an admin discharge. They have shown their judgment is seriously lacking.
AGREE! What else have they done in the past? What in the future will happen when they decide to push ethics and character to the side for a quick buck.
The aircraft commander, likely the senior officer on that bird, used very poor judgement. As a veteran, the son of a veteran & father of 3 veterans, there obviously needs to be consequences for this. Discharge may be a little harsh in my opinion. How about starting by showing up at the property owner’s door and offering an apology face to face? Then a few weekends fixing fence or cleaning corrals, etc. UCMJ probably in order on the guard side to set fines, maybe reduce rank. Fess up, face up & try to make it right. Property owner rightly pissed.