Inside the California National Guard’s battle with LA's wildfires

As thick black smoke rises past their canopy, the crew of a California National Guard Chinook dives through a scrubby canyon, 500 feet over a line of flames. A cloud of water falls from a bucket slung beneath it, and a plume of white vapor signals to the crew that they’ve hit their mark. 

For California National Guard pilots like Chief Warrant Officer 5 Joseph Rosamond, these kinds of maneuvers have been honed over many years and operations. 
“Whether it’s our rescues or it’s our firefighting stuff, whenever you’re out helping the community, that is the most rewarding thing you can do, because it’s a selfless act of service,” Rosamond told Task & Purpose. “I think there is a work ethic that comes with that, and you are either the type of person that wants to go out there and get after it, or you’re not. If you’re not, you’re probably not in this organization.”