U.S. Army Sgt. Aracelly Castillo, a native of Brooklyn,

U.S. Army Sgt. Aracelly Castillo, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and assigned to Company A, 172nd Support Battalion, 172nd Infantry Brigade, Task Force Blackhawk, carefully stretches the cargo straps up to the outstretched hand of an aircraft crew member Oct. 5, at Forward Operating Base Sharana. The metal ring is pulled inside and draped over a hook that is attached to the rigid interior frame of the helicopter. Castillo and her fellow soldiers at the helicopter landing zone regularly conduct sling load operations that ship cargo out to areas where the terrain is not safely traversed by ground vehicles.