A Colorado Army National Guard Black Hawk aircrew tested their skill and pushed their helicopter’s performance to its limits during a dangerous nighttime rescue that set the record for the highest hoist ever conducted by a military aircraft in Colorado.

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Robert F. Cruz, Colorado Army National Guard was driving home from work when he witnessed a major four-vehicle accident Aug. 30, 2023. A vehicle swerved to avoid an initial collision with two other vehicles, veering into oncoming traffic and rolling several times before crashing into a fourth vehicle.

The 140th Wing executed Exercise Centennial Strike, a simulated rapid mobilization of the Mission Generation Force Element and a regeneration of deployed aircraft, June 5-8, 2025. This exercise aimed to prepare for impending Contingency Response Force taskings, utilizing Multi-Capable Airmen. The focus was on validating the 140th Wing’s ability to generate combat-ready F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command theater of operations while testing core Mission Essential Tasks in response to a near-peer threat as defined in the National Defense Strategy.

The 140th Civil Engineer Squadron celebrated the construction for a new corrosion control facility at a groundbreaking ceremony May 20, 2025, as a number one Military Construction priority for the Colorado Air National Guard.