Photo By Master Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi | U.S. Army Soldiers of the 1st Battalion 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment and 4th...... read more read more
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The U.S. Army 1st Battalion 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment transferred authority to the 4th Battalion 3rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, April 22, 2022 at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates. The transfer of authority signified the successful completion of the “Strike First” battalion’s mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom – Spartan Shield.
The 1-44th ADA was first constituted March 2, 1899, and boasts a long tradition of wartime service with participation in more than 40 campaigns through World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, and the War on Terrorism in Iraq. Soldiers belonging to the 1-44th added to the regiment’s legacy in January. While under threat of medium ballistic missile attacks the 1-44th engaged the threat with the launch of Patriot interceptor missiles, preventing potential loss of life and damage to U.S. Central Command critical assets. This is the first U.S. Patriot missile engagement by the 1-44th ADA in more than 18 years and the first ever combined Terminal High Altitude Area Defense and Patriot intercepts with an allied partner.
Brig. Gen. Andrew M. Clark, the commander of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing said, “Today it was my honor to attend the Transfer of Authority ceremony for the 1-44th ADA as they handed the baton to the 4-3rd ADA. While we welcome the 4-3rd ADA and look forward to working together, I want to recognize the simply outstanding combat performance of the 1-44th ADA. They easily shouldered the immense responsibility of protecting U.S. and coalition service members while executing their mission with cool professionalism and aplomb. If asked to sum up their last year in theater, I will simply turn to the motto of the mighty 380th AEW: ‘ALWAYS mission ready, NEVER second best!’”
Clark was accompanied by U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Richard Quirk, the Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché of the United States Embassy in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and Chief Master Sgt. Olatokunbo Olopade, the command chief for the 380th AEW.
Hailing from Fort Sill, Oklahoma, the 4-3rd ADA has large shoes to fill but Lt. Col. Craig Cotner, the 4-3rd ADA Battalion commander, is confident the Soldiers of the 4-3rd ADA are up to the task.
“The Soldiers of the ‘Strike First’ Battalion set a high standard with how they defended Al Dhafra, and all the men and women stationed here,” said Cotner. “We are up to the challenge of maintaining that standard while also being great partners and teammates to the men and women of the 380th AEW.”
| Date Taken: | 04.25.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 04.26.2022 03:59 |
| Story ID: | 419267 |
| Location: | AL DHAFRA AIR BASE, AE |
| Hometown: | FORT CAVAZOS, TX, US |
| Hometown: | FORT SILL, OK, US |
| Web Views: | 499 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, Passing on the shield: 1-44 ADA transfers authority to 4-3 ADA, by MSgt Jeffrey Grossi, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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