South Dakota
SDNG, National Park Service partner to clean up around Mt. Rushmore
A South Dakota National Guard Black Hawk helicopter was recently seen buzzing around Mount Rushmore.
But it wasn’t a military exercise. It was a partnership between the the SDNG and the National Park Service to remove fallen trees and debris around the memorial.
Seven soldiers from the 109th Engineer Battalion used a heli-basket to remove three loads of debris.
Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Dempsey, a combat engineer and project coordinator for the battalion, led the unit.
“Mt. Rushmore is a major monument in South Dakota and the United States so it’s a big deal that we maintain, respect it, and keep it clean and be good hosts of it,” Dempsey said.
National Guard officials say the mission allowed the National Park Service to avoid the risks of burning the material close to Mount Rushmore or Park Service employees hauling the debris down steep and rocky terrain.
Courtesy
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South Dakota National Guard Army Aviation Support Facility