Sgt. Jessi Ann McCormick/US Army
Sgt. Zach Smola, rear door gunner on a CH-47, keeps watch on the mountains in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan, May 12, 2013. The Chinooks, operated by members of Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 104th Aviation Regiment from the Connecticut and Pennsylvania Army National Guard, have played a vital part in the mission in Afghanistan since their arrival in December 2012 by performing resupply, retrograde, and planned missions.
Whether they're giving medical aid during a "dustoff," or providing suppressing fire from a gunship, crewmembers from a variety of aircraft can have one of the most hazardous jobs in the military - which is why some of the following scenes can only be experienced from this exclusive group.
We've compiled 19 photos of just a glimpse of the conditions that some of these crewmembers operate in.
An earlier version of this article was written by David Choi.