A Nevada Army Guard CH-47D Chinook helicopter grounded permanently by the U.S. Army due to structural damage caused by bullet holes in its hull following 27 months of missions in Afghanistan is set to take to the sky once again above the Army Aviation Support Facility in Reno – this time as the static display addition to the Mustang 22 Memorial located at 20000 Army Aviation Drive.

Construction on the addition officially began April 15 and was marked by a groundbreaking ceremony. The display addition is set to be in place within a few weeks and will display Chinook Tail No. 200 in an aft-gear landing position. Tail No. 200 was not with D Company in 2005 but it was flown by the Nevada Army Guard’s Bravo Company, 1-189th General Support Aviation Battalion, during its 2012 deployment in Afghanistan.
Mustang 22 was the call sign for the Nevada Army Guard’s Chinook that was shot down in Afghanistan on September 25, 2005. Five Soldiers died in the rocket-propelled grenade attack on the helicopter, including the Nevada Army Guard’s Chief Warrant Officer 3 John Flynn and Sgt. Patrick Stewart.

There will be no taxpayer funds used on the project. Pallett Construction of Virginia City is donating the majority of the labor and materials for the project. The Mustang 22 Memorial non-profit organization paid for the painting and refurbishment of Tail No. 200. The display, which should be completed within a few months, will join the already existing portion of the memorial dedicated on Sept. 25, 2010.