Lori Fullbright On Assignment In Iraq

News On 6 Anchor Lori Fullbright and photojournalist Oscar Pea will leave for news coverage in Iraq on Saturday. They will fly missions with SKYNEWS 6 pilot Will Kavanagh, who is serving his country in the National Guard. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=11266097">Oklahoma National Guard Blackhawks Head To Iraq</a>

Thursday, April 1st 2010, 8:48 pm

By: News On 6

Hundreds of Oklahomans are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan right now. One soldier overseas is SKYNEWS 6 pilot Will Kavanagh. He and about 80 others are members of "B" Company of the 2nd-285th National Guard Aerial Assault group.

News On 6 anchor Lori Fullbright is going to Iraq to cover Oklahomans serving on the war front.

By Lori Fullbright, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- Photojournalist Oscar Pea and I leave Tulsa Saturday afternoon.

We arrive in Kuwait City late Sunday night, and Will picks us up Monday morning in a Black Hawk. Another Black Hawk will follow us for safety as we head to their base, south of Baghdad.

Bravo Company left to train for three months before heading to Iraq. These members are citizen soldiers who train one weekend every month and two weeks a year then put their jobs, their families and their lives on hold when they are called into service.

The News On 6 caught up with them at Fort Gruber as the 80 men and women practiced their gunnery skills, getting ready to do their job which is to give aerial support for troops on the ground in battle.

Each Black Hawk crew is at least four people, two pilots and two gunners.

The gunners constantly scan for enemies and fire and return fire if need be. It's dangerous work and they're doing it in a dangerous place.

Chief Will Kavanagh has traded in SKYNEWS 6 and flying over grass fires, traffic tie-ups and other breaking news, for a Black Hawk and flying missions almost every day, including holidays.

This is his second tour in Iraq.

Iraq is about the size of California and while it's mostly desert, does have two major rivers, the Euphrates and the Tigris.

Of course, we wish we could go over there and show every single Oklahoman in every unit and branch of service, but we're going to be with Bravo Company since we have a contact there, and he's helping us cut through some red tape.

Follow Lori and Oscar on NewsOn6.com and Lori's Facebook Fan page. They will do some live reporting, and other stories will air in May.