Task Force Storm heads home: Black Hawk unit Germany-bound after nomadic Iraq tour

Photo By Staff Sgt. Dale Sweetnam | Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (Assault), prepare to send off the last of their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters Sept. 25, 2008 on an Air Force C-17 bound for Germany.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

09.29.2008

Story by Sgt. Dale Sweetnam 

Multi-National Division-Central

By Sgt. Dale Sweetnam
Task Force 49

CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – After 15 months in theater, 24,000 hours flown and more than 86 air assault missions conducted in support of three different mission sets, the Soldiers of Task Force Storm finally headed home.

The nomadic Soldiers of 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (Assault) redeployed to Germany in late August after conducting missions in nearly half of Iraq while stationed at Joint Base Balad, Camp Taji and Baghdad International Airport.

"Through it all, I would say that the Soldiers had an increasingly good attitude," said Lt. Col. James Macklin, 3rd Bn., 158th Avt. Regt. commander. "When we're asked to do something, the Storm Riders don't complain; they just get it done."

TF Storm moved around Iraq during its 15-month deployment. The Soldiers encountered new missions, fought in intense conflicts and flew in new battlespaces. The airspace they defended seemed to be changing constantly, Macklin said, but the Soldiers of TF Storm maintained their composure and did everything that was asked of them and more.

The first stop in TF Storm's journey around Iraq was at JB Balad, where it was the air assault asset in support of Multi-National Corps –Iraq. TF Storm stayed busy there, conducting 44 air assault missions and 56 named operations.

After Balad, TF Storm Soldiers moved to Camp Taji where they became the only air assault Black Hawk Battalion in Multi-National Division–Baghdad.

The unit's tenure at Camp Taji was extremely intense, according to Macklin. During their stay in the region, TF Storm conducted 24 air assault operations and captured numerous high value targets.

"We had multiple missions in and around Sadr City," he said. "We did everything from leaflet drops to air assaults to air movements. We pretty much did it all."

TF Storm's constant transitions could have easily worn the unit down, but Macklin said his Soldiers stepped up to the challenge and executed like true professionals.

"The Soldiers adapted very quickly to the new mission," he said. "They were very focused on getting settled and starting operations."

After six months in Camp Taji, and with their time in Iraq nearing an end, the TF Storm Soldiers were asked to move once again, this time to camp Striker near Baghdad International Airport. There they fell under the control of TF 49 in support of MND-C.

Once arriving in Camp Striker in July, TF Storm had to quickly learn a much larger battlespace. By early September, the unit had already completed 18 air assaults from its new base.

TF Storm's character was clearly tested by all its relocations in theater, according to Macklin.

"Adversity is what binds us together, and our ability to pick ourselves up when we're knocked down is the attribute I'm most proud of."

Col. Chandler C. Sherrell, TF 49 commander, has worked with TF Storm for only a few months, but he said he saw the professionalism and quality of the organization as they moved across the battlefield.

"When you see an organization able to do that, continue without hesitation and pick up a new mission, it tells you a great deal about those Soldiers; not simply the air crews, but the entire organization," Sherrell said. "They've supported MNC-I, MND-B and MND-C; something they never envisioned prior to their deployment to theater. They have done more than what was asked, and they have done it well."

Macklin said the journey has been long, and while the Soldiers of TF Storm have fought and defended their country with intensity and dedication, he said they are clearly happy to be returning to their families in Germany.

"It's been a great deployment for us," Macklin said. "We've learned a lot, but I'm not going to sit here and say we're not tired because we are. These Soldiers have poured their hearts in to this mission for 15 months."

The New York Army National Guard's 3rd Battalion, 142nd Assault Helicopter Battalion took over the air assault mission Sept. 24, 2008 following the transfer of authority ceremony.

• Date Taken: 09.29.2008
• Date Posted: 09.29.2008 05:08
• Story ID: 24262
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ