1-62 ADA cases colors for deployment

Photo By Kimberly Hackbarth | Lt. Col. Curran Chidester, the commander of 1st Battalion, 62nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, speaks to the Soldiers and families of the unit Sept. 2, on the First Army Division West Field on Fort Hood, Texas, after casing the battalion colors in preparation for deployment. The unit, which is assigned to 69th ADA Brigade, is slated to deploy over the next month to Southwest Asia for a year.  

FORT HOOD, TX, UNITED STATES

09.02.2015

Story by Staff Sgt. Kimberly Hackbarth 

69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade

FORT HOOD, Texas – In preparation for their upcoming deployment to Southwest Asia, the command team of 1st Battalion, 62nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, cased the battalion colors Sept. 2, on First Army Division West Field, here.

The deployment will be the battalion’s second since its reactivation in 2011. The unit returned 17 months ago and is already set to deploy to the CENTCOM area of operations to provide air and missile defense.

The deployment comes just four months after Lt. Col. Curran Chidester, commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Donnell Younger, senior enlisted advisor, took command of the battalion.

Chidester said taking command of a deploying unit made it easier for him to focus priorities.

The unit had already been conducting pre-deployment training with the previous leadership, and under Chidester, they conducted a mission rehearsal exercise (MRE).

During the MRE, the headquarters element of the brigade evaluated Chidester’s battalion.

“You can’t evaluate yourself, so you need that external support,” he explained.

Ensuring that the battalion is proficient at its mission is critical for a deployment, Chidester said.

“As the threats emerge across the world, somebody has to be there for that threat and that’s what we are,” he said. “We are a very specifically trained unit, we have a very specific capability that goes against a very specific threat and no one else can do that.”

Chidester said he wanted to ensure that the families of his Soldiers understood the importance of the air defense artillery mission.

“I want (the families) to hear from the sergeant major and myself and their battery leadership the constant message of what our strategic importance is in the world and why we do what we do,” he explained.

Another important aspect during the deployment process is setting up a rear detachment element to take care of Soldiers who are not deploying, and the families of the Soldiers who are deploying.

“We have a very strong rear detachment command team that is very proactive and will be working with the families, the Family Readiness Groups, and the Soldiers back here,” Chidester said. “The key is making sure we have someone communicating with the families, so everyone is in the know of what’s really going on.”

According to Chidester, the unit has a high number of “first-time deployers,” or Soldiers who have never deployed before.

One “first-time deployer,” Pvt. James Weaver, a Patriot launching station enhanced operator/maintainer with Battery D, 1st Bn., 62nd ADA Regt., arrived at the unit in April.

“We’re going to do some hard training when we get over there, so I’m pretty excited to get into it and do my job,” Weaver said.

Weaver said he expects the beginning of the deployment to be hard, due to missing his family, but he is excited to get his first deployment out of the way.

“It’ll be nice to go over there, even though we don’t get (mid-tour leave or combat pay),” Weaver said. “We will have had the experience, so on the next deployment, we’ll know what to expect.”

So far, Weaver only knows what the veteran ADA Soldiers in his unit and his former cavalry scout brother have told him about deployments.

“(My brother) had a lot of strong advice for me,” he explained.

His brother’s advice was to attend school while deployed and take advantage of the time he had away, Weaver said.

Chidester said he hopes his Soldiers work on whatever goals they have, whether they are financial, fitness, or educational goals.

After pre-deployment training, setting up a rear detachment, and taking block leave to visit with family, the Soldiers of 1st Bn., 62nd ADA Regt. are ready to deploy, said Chidester.

“You can see the excitement and you feed off of that,” he said. “It motivates you as a leader to see that excitement.”

Though Chidester is no stranger to deployments or color casing ceremonies, he said the act of casing the battalion colors is a very symbolic element.

“It’s real now, you’re going to deploy,” Chidester said. “It’s that milestone on a map that next time you see those colors, we’re going to be in another country.”

• Date Taken: 09.02.2015
• Date Posted: 09.02.2015 16:41
• Story ID: 175064
• Location: FORT HOOD, TX, US
• Hometown: STEELVILLE, MO, US