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Task Force No Mercy The Team in TallAfar, Iraq

Photo By Master Sgt. Ryan Matson | An AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter flies over the desert terrain between...... read more read more

TAL AFAR, IRAQ

06.26.2006

Courtesy Story

101st Combat Aviation Brigade

TALL"AFAR, IRAQ -- "This is an incredible team we have up here," Maj. David Kramer, 1st Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade Executive Officer said.

Kramer was referring to Task Force No Mercy, a task force comprised of elements from 10 companies and six different Army units throughout the world who have pooled together at Tall Afar to support the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

On January 15, the first elements from 1st Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, arrived in Tall"Afar to relieve the 4th Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. Task Force No Mercy supported the 1st Brigade, 1st Armor Division until May 19, until the 172nd Stryker Brigade assumed responsibility for Western Ninevah.

The 172nd Stryker Brigade patrols an area about the size of Rhode Island in Northwest Iraq on the Syrian border. In the city of Tall`Afar, which lies roughly in the middle of the area, Task Force No Mercy supports the 2nd Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment. The Apaches of 1st Battalion provide an attack asset to the ground units, conducting reconnaissance and surveillance to Soldiers on the ground.

A breakdown of the various units comprising Task Force No Mercy and their particular role within the Task Force follows.
Headquarters, Task Force No Mercy " "With the help of 1st Sgt. McGuire in 1st Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment, we were able to establish one of the finest command and control facilities of any battalion-level task force in theatre," Kramer said.

He said the handful of Soldiers who staff the communications, intelligence, operations and logistics sections of the headquarters element are all able to run a fully mission-capable tactical operations center with less than half the manpower usually allotted for such an operation.

Spc. Michael Comboy is responsible for handling the task force's communication needs, along with a handful of other young Soldiers serving on their first deployment.

"It's a unique situation here," Comboy said. "We're supporting a task Force with more units than your typical battalion. The commo section provides tactical communication and automation for the entire task force's needs."

Lt. Col. (promotable) Doug Gabram, the Task Force Commander, talked about the dynamic team assembled in Tall"Afar, Iraq.

"This is a true test of the "One Team, One Fight" concept," Gabram said. "It is active duty and National Guard units coming together to form a cohesive Task Force in a combat environment. The success of the Task Force belongs to the junior leaders and Soldiers commitment to each other and their country. The true test and report card for any aviation unit comes from the Soldiers and commanders on the ground.

We are proud to say our ground Soldiers are more than happy to have No Mercy aircraft above their heads. I have often said, "You can fake attitude, you can fake enthusiasm, but you can't fake passion." Our Soldiers have a passion for what they do."

Company B, 1st Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade " The "Bearcats" are the Longbow Apache attack helicopter company of Task Force No Mercy. They provide direct aerial attack helicopter support to the 172nd Stryker Brigade.

The Bearcats have flown about 2,500 flight hours in support of the 172nd and 1st Brigade, 1st Armor Division since the Task Force took effect Jan. 15.

Chief Warrant Officer Two Matthew Zepp is an Apache pilot with Company B. He discussed some of the various operations the company has performed in the Task Force.

"We get a chance to provide convoy security, cordon and searches, zone and route reconnaissance," he said. "Our role goes as far as helping the Infantry Soldiers find a route to their destination from above, acting as eyes in the sky."

He said the mission has changed somewhat from the battalion's last deployment.

"The enemy this time around doesn't wear uniforms and every person we look at may or may not be the enemy, and until they present themselves, we don't know," he said.

While the company is currently supporting the 172nd, Zepp said they have supported everyone from the 3rd Infantry Division to Special Operations teams, to logistics convoys during their time in theatre.

Company E, 1st Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade " The Company E "Executioners" are responsible for running the Forward Ammunition and Refueling Point for Task Force No Mercy. They also provide vehicle maintenance for the Task Force No Mercy motorpool, Sgt. 1st Class Tomorris Robinson, Company E and FARP Noncommissioned Officer in Charge, said.

"Anything that comes in here with fuel requirements, we refuel it," Robinson said.

The four-point FARP has pumped over 800,000 gallons of fuel and issued over $6 million of ammunition, Robinson said. Soldiers at the FARP work two 12 hour shifts a day to provide constant fueling to any incoming aircraft, from C-130s to Kiowas.

"They always must be ready," Robinson said. During the task force's first three months in Tall"Afar, the Executioners also operated a two-point FARP at Forward Operating Base Nimr (in the Western village of Synjar.) This austere outpost was initially critical in the first phase of Task Force No Mercy's operation in the Western Ninevah Province.

Company D, 1st Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade " As the company which is overall in charge of the aviation task force maintenance, the "Dragonslayers" of Company D also handle the maintenance and armament needs for the Apaches of Task Force No Mercy. A small detachment of Soldiers from the company moved to Tall"Afar to support Task Force No Mercy with basic aircraft maintenance, 250-hour inspection capability, and other basic needs to keep Company B flying high.

The armament section rearms and performs electrical maintenance on the aircraft. The maintenance section replaces seals and performs general maintenance on the aircraft. Meanwhile, the shops section works on the engine, power transmission, and airframe, Sgt. 1st Class Tommy Daigle, the acting company first sergeant said.

The company also has a quality control section which inspects the work done and a technical supply section which orders the needed aircraft parts. The crews work two 12 hour shifts each day, every day, and has never dropped a mission due to maintenance issues.

"I've been in aviation maintenance for 16 years and nine in the 101st Airborne Division, and 1st Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, is the most professional organization I've worked with," Daigle said. "I've got a great bunch of guys " guys who work hard and put in 100-percent every day."
Company C, 1st Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment " The "Outcasts" provide the Kiowa piece of Task Force No Mercy.

"We provide convoy security, aerial reconnaissance, and Quick Reaction Force missions," Company C first sergeant, 1st Sgt. Don McGuire, said. "We pretty much do the same things as the Apaches, except they go further out, we fly in the more immediate area."

One of the other missions the Kiowas have brought to the table is the use of Scout Weapon Attack Teams (SWAT teams, also known as "pink" teams in other areas of operation), Kramer said. He said the teams couple the precision reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities of the OH-58 with the lethality of the AH-64D.

McGuire said the Kiowas also provide security during No Mercy Watch missions and have been flying at an extremely high operational tempo. He said Company C brought elements of its own maintenance company and headquarters company, to make it a totally self-sustaining detachment under the task force's operational control. "Everything's been working pretty well," he said.

Company B, 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment " The "Arctic Cowboys," from the Alaska National Guard, are the Task Force's UH-60 Blackhawk element. Maj. Cheryl Anderson, the company commander, said the main mission of the Artic Cowboys is battle field circulation " running log packs in the Area of Operations. The company has been flying more than any other UH-60s within the overall Band of Brothers Task Force, averaging 650 flight hours per month. They joined Task Force No Mercy after working with 2nd Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade and 1st Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment in Mosul during the first five and a half months of their deployment.

The company has also participated in numerous Air Assault missions with Task Force No Mercy and the 101st Airborne Division to include Operation Swarmer and Iron Triangle.

1st Sgt. Mike Jones, the company first sergeant, said another key mission within Task Force No Mercy is conducting "No Mercy Watch", in which snap Traffic Control Points are established from the air. This mission is similar to "Eagle Watch," which is conducted by 5th Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade and its Pathfinder Company farther South near Tikrit. The difference between the two operations is that No Mercy Watch incorporates an AH-64D attack weapons team that provides added security and lethality to the mission. In No Mercy Watch, the Arctic Cowboys transport a team of Infantrymen from Company B, 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade in Blackhawk helicopters. The AH-64Ds and Blackhawks conduct a route reconnaissance of Main Supply Route Tampa as well as suspicious houses or areas, looking for smugglers and other suspicious activity. The UH-60 aircraft then land, allow the Infantry to quickly set up a TCP within the area and search suspicious vehicles and homes.

19th Expeditionary Air Support Operations Squadron " The Air Force weather team in Task Force No Mercy provide constant weather briefs to any outgoing flights from the task force.

"We take hourly weather observations and do force and resource protection by issuing advisories and warnings on weather," Capt. Kristian Harjo, the team's Officer in Charge, said. "We give commanders information on weather to avoid. In the summertime, we do dust watches, monitoring places when dust storms might generate and where."

The team coordinates its forecasts with Shaw Air Force Base, who watches the area via satellite and generates forecasts for the country of Iraq and tailors them to each Area of Operation. "We're the eyes forward," Harjo said.

G 126th Aviation Intermediate Maintenance Company " The "Griffins" provide unit level maintenance for the Company B, 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment "Artic Cowboys," and intermediate level maintenance for Apaches and Blackhawks.

The company, which is a National Guard unit based out of Connecticut, is made up of Soldiers from four states " Tennessee, Connecticut, Alaska and Maine " and Puerto Rico.

"None of our states came together until we deployed," Master Sgt. Barbara Pepin said. The company also includes a Supply Support Activities (SSA) section which includes four Soldiers from 96th Aviation Support Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, and receives all aircraft parts and handles the supply for the task force.

"The SSA has been critical in keeping the Task Force operational, especially way out here away from the main support hub," Kramer said.

The company works with Company D in providing Apache maintenance, and with Company E in sustaining the motor pool.
Second Platoon, Company B, 634th Military Intelligence Battalion (Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) " The "Nightmare" platoon is responsible for launching, maintaining and navigating the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, the Shadow. Detachment commander is Chief Warrant Officer Two Steve Schiffli, a Blackhawk pilot from the Minnesota National Guard who stepped into the commander's role.

"I'm a Blackhawk pilot, I thought I"d assume an air ambulance role, none of us really expected to be doing this," Schiffli said. "We have Soldiers from every Military Occupational Specialty background in the unit " infantry, tank mechanics, radar operators, you name it. For being a bunch of people thrown together, the Soldiers have done a great job, I couldn't ask for anything more as a commander."

The UAV conducts aerial reconnaissance and convoy route reconnaissance, flying at 7,000 feet above the ground, and provides photo imagery for missions. The 14 by 12-foot remote-controlled aircraft is also capable of filming missions such as Air Assaults as they happen, giving a commander the chance to view the mission's progress in real time.

Because the remote-controlled plane is unmanned, Schiffli said it can fly over dangerous areas without putting the lives of an air crew at risk.

The UAV has been instrumental in the capture of several Anti-Iraqi Forces personnel, such as on June 13, when the UAV found a suspect and directed elements of the 172nd Stryker Brigade and Task Force No Mercy to the suspect for his ultimate apprehension and detention.

"Finding the enemy motivates me, that's immediate gratification for our team," Schiffli said.

Company D, 3rd Battalion, 58th Aviation Regiment " The Company D, 3rd Battalion, 58th Aviation Regiment, "Dragons" joined Task Force No Mercy in December from their home station in Grafenowoer, Germany.

"Basically, we do the same thing in the tactical environment as in a fixed environment," Staff Sgt. Paul "Pablo" Perez, the company's Air Traffic Control Chief, said. "We are responsible for running the airfield from the tower, deconflicting incoming and out going aircraft, anything within our airspace."

Perez said his parent headquarters has controllers at airfields and helipads throughout Iraq, and that the team works eight-hour shifts, 24 hours a day, continuously.

"The 172nd Stryker Brigade is the ninth different brigade 1st Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade has supported this deployment," Kramer said. The Task Force No Mercy team mentioned above is capable of conducting a multitude of Army aviation combat missions in Northern Iraq without additional augmentation.

"We are truly a "one-stop shop" for multi-functional aviation capabilities," Kramer said.