Task Force Warrior Deploys: 1st Air Cavalry to Head Air Operations for Hurricane Katrina Relief

Courtesy Photo | At the last minute, two Soldiers of the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division deliver a bag to a Task Force Warrior UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter as it performs its pre-flight checks at Robert Gray Army Airfield Sept. 1, 2005. Thirty three Soldiers from Headquarters Company, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division departed Fort Hood, Texas, to provide command and control of air operations for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Colby Hauser, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs) hkat  

FORT HOOD, TX, UNITED STATES

09.07.2005

Courtesy Story

DVIDS Hub       

By Spc. Colby Hauser
1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

FORT HOOD, Texas -- Taking cover beneath any shade they could find, the Soldiers of Task Force Warrior waited; trying to avoid the mid-morning heat as the time for their departure neared.

Troops from Headquarters Company, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division departed just before noon Sept. 1 from Robert Gray Army Airfield to take the lead as command and control element of air assets for Joint Task Force Katrina, which is supporting hurricane relief efforts in Louisiana and Mississippi.

"Today we are going to deploy the brigade headquarters element, which will be the command and control headquarters for the two packages we already deployed in support of Hurricane Katrina relief," said Col. Dan Shanahan, commander of the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade. "What we're going to do is handle active Army rotary winged assets, which will fall under Task Force Warrior, 1st Cavalry Division."

This task force is a part of Joint Task Force Katrina, under the command of 1st Army headquartered at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. Shanahan said Task Force Warrior's mission is fluid.

"Initially, our mission consists of flying assessment teams for FEMA," Shanahan said. "Once we finish those missions, we'll be flying food, water, logistical support missions and providing evacuations of people out of dangerous areas.

"Right now, there is a lot of ambiguity on the ground, but every day we're making great progress and helping those great people that were hurt in this hurricane," he added.

Shanahan said that there is currently 80 aircraft and 300 Fort Hood Soldiers assigned to Task Force Warrior, drawing both equipment and personnel from the 1st Cavalry Division and the 4th Infantry Division. He said local National Guard and Army Reserve aircraft will still be under the command of their respective organizations. However, he said that they expect those numbers to increase as the relief mission continues.

On this day, two UH-60 Blackhawks and two CH-47 Chinook helicopters joined ten other 1st Cavalry Division aircraft already engaged in relief operations in Louisiana. Chief Warrant Officer 3 Ahmad Upshaw's Chinook was loaded with more than 16,000 pounds -- mainly generators and initial supply items for the forward-deploying troops. The pilot and his crew from Company B, 2-227th Aviation will be making supply runs to and from the disaster area throughout the operation. He's concerned over what he'll find once he gets to Louisiana.

"We expect the worst, but we're hoping for the best," Upshaw said.

The impact of Hurricane Katrina and helping those in need extends well beyond the deployments to Louisiana for some First Team Soldiers. Several Fort Hood Soldiers have family in the areas devastated by the hurricane. Shanahan said that his driver's family, from Mississippi, has relocated temporarily to central Texas. Several troops have had to make sacrifices on the home front to help those in need. The aviation troops are eager to help, whether they are personally affected by the disaster or not.

"I'm glad to help. This is what I do" said Spc. Chad Webster, a flight operations specialist with Headquarters Company, 1st ACB. "But it's my son's birthday on the sixth. It's the fourth birthday I'll miss, and he'll be four years old."

For some of the troops of Task Force Warrior, especially those who served in Iraq, this mission is a way to reach out and help other Americans.

"I'm just glad to help," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 T.J. Saari, a Blackhawk pilot with 2-227th Aviation. "It feels a little different than Iraq. Over there, it's the job you signed up for. Here, we're just lending out a helping hand."

Others, left behind at Fort Hood to assist in the logistics mission, wished they could do more for the hurricane victims.

"I wish I was going," said Spc. Christopher Jackson, a Blackhawk mechanic with Company D, 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation Brigade, 1st ACB. "To me, this mission is more important right now than Iraq. We need to take care of our own, especially if we have the resources to help."

hkat

• Date Taken: 09.07.2005
• Date Posted: 09.07.2005 13:12
• Story ID: 2913
• Location: FORT HOOD, TX, US