The 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade changes Command, Responsibility

Photo By Sgt. Hubert Delany | U.S. Army Maj. Gen. James Mingus (right), commander of the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division passes the brigade colors to Col. Ernest Irvin, incoming Commander of the 82nd CAB, during a change of command ceremony at Fort Bragg, N.C. on June 26, 2019. Since the creation of the unit, and over the past few years, the 82nd CAB has participated in multiple operational missions, humanitarian responses and training exercises remaining ready for the Nation’s call. (U.S. Army Photo by Spc. Hubert D. Delany III / 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)  

FORT BRAGG, NC, UNITED STATES

06.26.2019

Story by Staff Sgt. Sharon Matthias 

82nd Combat Aviation Brigade

FORT BRAGG, North Carolina –Soldiers assigned to 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), 82nd Airborne Division hosted a change of command and responsibility ceremony on Pike Field, Fort Bragg, June 26, 2019.
U.S. Army Col. Earnest J. Irvin II replaced Col. Bernard Harrington as the 82nd CAB commander and Command Sgt. Maj. Michael J. Arceneaux replaced Command Sgt. Maj. David Marrero-Baez as the 82nd CAB command sergeant major.
Harrington led nearly 3,000 CAB Paratroopers through many successful missions in his 24 months tenure.
“These incredible Pegasus Paratroopers that stand before you are true national treasures,” said Harrington. “They’re comprised of less than one percent of our population who answers their nation’s call in a time of war, and I know of no task that this team cannot accomplish.”
The 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade’s major subordinate units now include 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, 122nd Aviation Support Battalion, and Headquarters and Headquarters Company.
Early this year during the 82nd Airborne Division major field training exercise, named Warfighter 19-03, the CAB dominated the battle field with unprecedented air assaults, deep and close fighting executions, which resulted in countless number of kills and destroyed significant enemy weapons systems, said Maj. Gen. James Mingus, 82nd Airborne Division commander.
Mingus also highlighted the CAB’s greatest achievements in his speech and commented on their high profile missions.
“When the hurricane hit last Fall we had to dispatch the entire CAB to 16 different locations around the country, every frame made it on their own and every frame made it home on their own,” said Mingus. “They achieved the highest score on Forces Command Aviation Resource Management Survey compared to any aviation unit in 10 years.”
Command and responsibility of the 82nd CAB Paratroopers now belong to Irvin and Arceneaux.
They are tasked to lead the “Saber, Corsair, Wolfpack, Talon and Atlas” Paratroopers who stand ready to serve something greater than themselves and maintain the 82nd CAB’s legacy.
“At JROTC I’ve seen a lot of motivated Paratroopers, and I knew that was the formation I wanted to be a part of, but I also wanted to be part of taking them to the next level by making sure that they were ready to go and fight our nation’s wars,” said Arceneaux. “So being selected to serve as the 82nd CAB Sgt. Maj., was absolutely a dream come true.”

• Date Taken: 06.26.2019
• Date Posted: 06.27.2019 16:11
• Story ID: 329491
• Location: FORT BRAGG, NC, US