Photo By Ismael Ortega | Soldiers assigned to HHB Forward, 42nd Infantry Division, and HHC, 192nd MP Battalion,...... read more read more
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FORT BLISS, Texas - The Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion Forward, 42nd Infantry Division, New York Army National Guard and the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 192nd Military Police Battalion, Connecticut Army National Guard, returned stateside Jan. 15.
The two guard units arrived at the Silas L. Copeland Arrival/Departure Air Control Group Airfield after completing a nine-month deployment to Guantanamo Naval Base, Cuba, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
“The mission went great. It’s a really complex and interesting mission,” said Lt. Col. Todd Bookless, officer in charge, HHB Fwd., 42nd Inf. Div.
Both units completed similar missions as part of the headquarters element for the detention operations of joint task force at Guantanamo Naval Base. As part of the higher echelon at Gitmo, the units based out of Troy, New York and Niantic, Connecticut, completed missions that included a wide scope of services.
“We filled a good portion of the joint staff,” Bookless said. “We had people in operations, personnel, logistics, communications, inspector general, engineers and the JAG.”
While ensuring for the safe care, custody, and control of detainees was the primary goal of the mission, most Soldiers used their downtime to both improve themselves and advance their military careers.
“Everybody did their noncommissioned officer education system up to their grade, if not beyond … all 60 of us did that,” said Sgt. Maj. Nathan Hawker, noncommissioned officer in charge, HHB, Fwd., 42nd Inf. Div. “In the Army Physical Fitness Test, we got a 99 percent completion rate, which was another goal … everybody improved their scores drastically.”
Both units had positive deployments, highlighted by the unique aspects to working at Guantanamo Naval Base.
“The most interesting part of the mission is that it is a joint environment,” Bookless said. “We were working with the Marines, Coast Guard, Navy and Air Force, every day. I think that was the most beneficial experience for us, working in a joint environment.”
“For a lot of the Soldiers I believe it was a big eye-opening experience, how all the different services function,” Hawker said.
Working alongside Navy personnel also allowed both units a unique experience for one of the longest running college rivalries – the Army-Navy football game.
“There is always a healthy rivalry,” said Sgt. 1st Class Shaun Lehnert, inspector general, HHB, Fwd., 42nd Inf. Div. “It was definitely the talk of Guantanamo that week. We had our own Army vs. Navy flag football game and the Army won.”
Unfortunately for the Army National Guard units, the Midshipmen outlasted the Black Knights 21-17, Dec. 12, 2015, to run the United States Naval Academy’s winning streak to 13 straight over their West Point counterparts.
Particularly for the HHB, Fwd., 42nd Inf. Div., another significant day was spent in Cuba, but with somber memories.
“We are from New York, so being there on September 11th was very meaningful,” Bookless said. “We’ve got people in the New York Fire Department and the New York Police Department; all of us have a linkage to 9/11.”
Both units will return to their homes in the Northeast United States after completing the demobilization process with the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security. After nine months at Guantanamo, some recognized the positives to take away from this deployment.
“There are some good things happening there, people working every day towards a common goal, day-in day-out in a joint environment with a unity of effort,” Bookless said. “We all work together.”
| Date Taken: | 01.15.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 01.29.2016 16:30 |
| Story ID: | 187427 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TX, US |
| Hometown: | NIANTIC, CT, US |
| Hometown: | TROY, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 416 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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