Guard Requested To Mark Copters

Rep. Aubyn Curtiss says the Montana National Guard should be able to do something to allay citizen fears of unmarked military helicopters hovering over the treetops.

The helicopters are painted dark green to black, for camouflage reasons, and Army regulation don’t allow for any variation.

Curtiss, R-Fortine, addressed her concerns to Gov. Marc Racicot, who referred her comments to the state’s top military official.

Maj. Gen. Gene Prendergast, adjutant general for the Montana National Guard, He said Army regu lations now don’t allow for special markings or variations in the color of tactical helicopters.

Curtiss said constituent concern is real and the problem could be resolved easily with a decal that could be placed on the choppers when they’re used for training and removed when deployed for an official mission.

An identifiable mark would help ease peoples’ minds because they “perceive our National Guard as benign and watching over us, not as a threat,” she said.