Kentucky governor tours Iraq visiting troops from home state

Courtesy Photo | Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear poses with Kentucky military members at the Command Sergeant Major Cooke dining facility at Camp Taji, Iraq, Aug. 2. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Mike Appleby)  

CAMP TAJI, IRAQ

08.02.2011

Courtesy Story

40th Combat Aviation Brigade

By Staff Sgt. Michael S. Appleby
40th Combat Aviation Brigade

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Commonwealth of Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear brought the “Unbridled Spirit” of Kentucky to Camp Taji, Iraq, during an Aug. 2 visit with the troops.

Beshear arrived at the Camp Taji airfield on a 40th Combat Aviation Brigade UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. Beshear, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, and Utah Gov. Gary Herbert were in the country visiting deployed units from their home states.

The 40th Combat Aviation Brigade is a California Army National Guard unit responsible for providing command and control to the many aviation battalions stationed on Camp Taji. One of those battalions is the 8th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment; a Fort Knox, Ky.-based Army Reserve unit, known as the “Flying Tigers.”

The 8-229 ARB is in Iraq conducting security and stability operations in support of Operation New Dawn. Together with active duty and National Guard aviation units, the battalion is the headquarters element of an aviation task force named “Task Force Tiger.” It is the aerial attack and reconnaissance arm of the 25th Infantry Division, which is in charge of the central Iraq area of operations.

Beshear, Haslam, and Flying Tigers commander Lt. Col. James Posey Jr., a resident of Nashville, Tenn., braved the 121-degree heat and spent the afternoon talking with the soldiers of Task Force Tiger during a walking tour of the Camp Taji airfield.

Capt. Nathan Chernecke, a pilot and commander of Delta Company, 8-229 ARB, and a Louisville, Ky., resident, invited Beshear aboard one of the battalion’s AH-64D Apache helicopters for a personal tour of the cockpit. Beshear appeared to be in awe over the complexity of the aircraft as he sat in the rear pilot’s seat. The aircraft was going through “phase maintenance” inside a hangar, so when maintenance officer Chief Warrant Officer Thomas Petruska, also a Kentucky resident, walked into the hangar, he yelled out, “Hey, what are you doing in my aircraft?”

Beshear chuckled, gave a broad smile and replied, “I just bought it.”

Phase maintenance is performed on all Army aircraft at set intervals to ensure that they are safe to fly, and involves stripping the aircraft down to its frame so that every part can be cleaned, tested, and inspected.

Following the airfield tour, the governors were treated to a special luncheon with troops from their home states at the Command Sergeant Major Cooke dining facility on Camp Taji.

Beshear announced, “I am honored to be here with you all,” during a post-luncheon address to the Kentucky soldiers.

Louisville native, 1st Sgt. Lionel Bayardo, of Bravo Company, presented Beshear with a United States flag, which had been flown aboard a Task Force Tiger attack helicopter during a security mission earlier in the week. Beshear stated, “This flag is going in the governor’s office,” as Bayardo also presented Beshear with decals depicting the battalion and Bravo Company logos.

In spite of a very tight schedule, Beshear took the time to speak with and present coins to every Kentucky military member present during the airfield tour and luncheon. Beshear also asked them to provide names and addresses of family back home so he could send them a letter thanking them for their sacrifices and the support of their loved ones deployed overseas.

As an added bonus, and to give his Kentucky military members a voice in his office, Beshear provided the opportunity for them to ask him questions regarding Kentucky governance by writing their inquiry on the back of the address slip he provided, with assurance that the question would be answered via e-mail.

Before continuing on his tour of Iraq, Beshear paused for a group photo with Kentucky military members and a Commonwealth of Kentucky flag, which he brought along for the trip.

After the photo and a short drive back to the airfield, Beshear boarded a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter bound for Baghdad, flown by “Task Force Dragonmaster;” a Georgia National Guard general support aviation battalion also stationed at Camp Taji. Camp Taji is about 12 miles north of Baghdad.

• Date Taken: 08.02.2011
• Date Posted: 08.03.2011 11:05
• Story ID: 74762
• Location: CAMP TAJI, IQ