More than 130 spouses of Soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment — Night Stalkers — took to the skies in various helicopters Aug. 9.

The event was part of the battalion’s Family Day which typically gives Soldiers and family members an opportunity to spend time recreationally while building unit cohesion and strengthening family and unit bonds.

Unique to this event was the opportunity for spouses of Soldiers in the battalion to be passengers on flights in unit aircraft to gain an understanding of what their Soldiers do while deployed and during training.

“These events bring everyone together,” said Lt. Col. Michael Mannion, 4-160th SOAR commander. “Families are able to see firsthand what their Soldiers do.”

Most spouses participating in the battalion’s Family Day had never experienced flying in a military aircraft.

This offered a unique opportunity to get an inside look at the work-lives of their Soldiers.

Elements of 4th Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, have been continuously deployed around the world since the battalion’s activation in 2005 in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

“These events showcase capabilities from the entire battalion; from our airborne program, flight planning, refueling and maintenance operations,” Mannion said.

The feature attraction of the day was not only limited to spouses of pilots.

Spouses of all Soldiers, from fuelers, maintainers, armament, communications and other support roles were welcome and encouraged to participate in the flights.

Additional to the spouse flights, the unit conducted airborne operations demonstrations, involving several groups of 16 paratroopers jumping safely from MH-47G Chinook helicopters.

“We conduct these events to let the families know they are just as important as their Soldiers, and they are also critical members of the team,” Mannion said. “We recruit the families, not just the Soldiers, as being a Night Stalker is about the families.”