JUNE 14, 2025 – This weekend, the Army will host a large celebration on the National Mall in Washington in honor of its 250th anniversary as a military service.
The celebration will include a parade, military flyovers and a large static display where visitors can view military hardware and engage with soldiers.
Among those participating will be Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 James “Woody” Watkins Jr., Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Darius T. Jenkins, Army Staff Sgt. Michael A. Frutchey and Army Sgt. Elijah C. Braddy, all assigned to the North Carolina Army National Guard.
Watkins, Jenkins, Frutchey and Braddy will accompany the AH-64 Apache helicopter they fly and will be available for visitors to ask them questions about the aircraft, how it contributes to the joint mission and what it means to serve in America’s oldest military service.
As an Apache pilot, Jenkins said it’s an honor to attend the event and represent the Army, the National Guard and the aviation community.
“I’m not quite sure how I got chosen for this, but I think this is a reward for all of us [who] are here,” he said. “We get a unique opportunity that no other Army aviator gets to have, pretty much for their entire career. So, it’s an honor and a privilege to get to do this.”
Jenkins has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades. He enlisted in 2002 and served as an armor crewman in the M1A1 Abrams tank. After 13 years as an enlisted soldier, he found a different way to serve — not on the ground, but in the air.
“I was in Kosovo in 2015 and went to a briefing about flying for the North Carolina National Guard, and I decided it would be a great opportunity,” Jenkins said.
After that, he applied to be an aviator warrant officer. Now he has 730 flight hours in the Apache and said it’s a remarkable piece of equipment.
“The role of the Apache is to support a ground force commander,” Jenkins said. “We are the eyes, ears and close air support for Army ground forces. Our main job is to keep them secure, keep them informed and destroy armored targets. That’s what it’s built for; it’s what we’re designed to do.”
As a maintainer, Frutchey is responsible for keeping the Apache airworthy and ready to support the Army and the joint force. While he now serves as an Apache maintainer, when he enlisted in 2012, he served as a turbine engine mechanic and saw an even wider variety of combat equipment.
“As a [mechanic], you’re qualified on all airframes in the Army,” he said. “I’ve worked on [CH-47] Chinooks, I’ve worked on [UH-60] Black Hawks, I’ve worked on the Apache, obviously. And then, when I reclassed, my role changed. So, I went specifically to maintainer on the AH-64E.”
Frutchey said he enlisted in the Army to serve his country but also because he has family who serve as well.
“My sister-in-law is an officer in our unit, actually,” he said. “And she kind of let me know what it was about back in the day. She’s amazing, and I kind of looked up to her, and it was some motivation to do something different with my life and try something new.”
Also an Apache maintainer, Braddy joined the Army in 2018, following in the footsteps of his dad.
“My father was in the active-duty [Army] for his whole entire 30 years,” he said. “So, I grew up … moving around and watching him serve. So, that was kind of a big inspiration.”
Braddy said he would like to become a pilot. Although he initially enlisted as a maintainer, his ultimate goal is to fly.
“[I] also wanted just to be a pilot,” he said. “The Army has the warrant officer program, which to me was more enticing than the officer side of things. So, that’s why I chose the Army. That was my intention when I joined.”
Braddy said he’s been accepted by the state but still must go through the federal recognition process to become a warrant officer. After that, he’ll attend flight school.
Jenkins said he and Watkins — who has 3,000 flight hours in the Apache — flew the aircraft from North Carolina up to Davidson Army Airfield at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, earlier in the week; the trip took about 90 minutes.
The next day, they flew the Apache the remaining 14 miles to the National Mall and left it there in preparation for the June 14, 2025, Army Birthday event.
Landing on the mall, with the Capitol on one side and the Washington Monument on the other, was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, Jenkins said. “Nobody ever gets to do that.”
The soldiers said they want visitors to know military service, and the Army, in particular, has been life-changing for them.
“The Army National Guard has changed the direction of my life in nothing but positive ways and given [me] and my peers a lot of great opportunities to learn things that transfer to the civilian world and continue on a legacy of Army aviation,” Frutchey said.
For the helicopter he maintains, he said, it speaks for itself.
“It’s the most advanced attack helicopter in the world,” he said. “And the fact that the North Carolina Army National Guard has as many of them as we do has been awesome; we take a lot of pride in maintaining them. Our communities see the aircraft flying, and I think people enjoy seeing it and knowing we’re here when we need to be, keeping them safe and keeping the ground forces safe.”
By C. Todd Lopez, DOD News