Photo By Staff Sgt. Andrea Merritt | Lt. Col. Robert Burke, commander of the 1st Squadron, 152nd Cavalry Regiment, delivers...... read more read more
By Spc. Andrea Merritt
1st Sustaintment Brigade
CAMP TAJI, Iraq — After seven months of duty in Iraq, the Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 143rd Field Artillery Regiment, a California National Guard unit attached to the 1st Sustainment Brigade, successfully completed their tour of duty.
As the Soldiers prepared for their departure from theater, the 1-43 FA Regt., officially relinquished its force-protection mission to the 1st Squadron, 152nd Cavalry Regiment, an Indiana National Guard unit, during a transfer of authority ceremony on April 17.
"I think our Soldiers performed as professionals – they were dedicated and disciplined," said Lt. Col. Ian Falk, commander of the 1st Bn., 143rd FA. "They embraced the mission ... they improved on everything and continued to make things better. I'm in awe of their performance."
The Soldiers of the Indiana National Guard unit will now be responsible for running the Area Defense Operations Cell and providing security to the forces on Camp Taji.
After all of their hard work and training, the Soldiers are more than eager to step into their new role.
"We trained just for this mission that lies before us. We're ready to execute and take over from our National Guardsmen from California," said Lt. Col. Robert Burke, commander of the 1-152nd Cav. Regt.
In the process of preparing for deployment, the Soldiers of the 1-152nd Cav. Regt had to withstand three challenges simultaneously.
Before deploying, the unit underwent a transformation from an infantry battalion to a cavalry squadron, which involved re-training its infantry Soldiers to be cavalry scouts.
"We put together a (military occupational specialty) qualification course, in conjunction with Fort Knox, to get our Soldiers MOS (qualified) in a quicker timeline due to our upcoming mobilization," Burke said.
As the unit was undergoing transformation and re-training, its Soldiers also had to go through mobilization training to prepare for its deployment.
Despite the challenges, the Soldiers performed their duties well.
"They did very well. With good planning and good preparation, Soldiers tend to excel," Burke stated.
Upon the unit's arrival to Iraq, a number of personnel from the unit's headquarters element were sent to Victory Base Complex and the Anbar Province.
Although it lost some elements, the unit gained two new companies: the 1123rd Transportation Company and the 1038th Engineer Company, which are both Arkansas National Guard units, will be attached to the 1-152nd Cav. Regt. for the duration of their deployments.
"That's what the Army's all about. We have these plug and play type units to fill in and take over for another unit's mission and still drive on with no diminishment of current operations," Burke said.
"I'm just excited to be here. It's nice to finally have something where we're wanted and where there's a need for us to step up and take over an important job here," Burke concluded.
| Date Taken: | 04.26.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 04.26.2008 18:09 |
| Story ID: | 18803 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 436 |
| Downloads: | 343 |
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