Photo By Maj. Michael O'Hagan | New York Army National Guard Spc. Lori Gorman and Spc. Jahaira Rodriguez, both...... read more read more
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NEW YORK--Kicking off New York’s largest mobilization of National Guard forces in more than a decade, 1,380 New York Army National Guard Soldiers have mobilized for deployments in East Africa and Kuwait since June 9.
Two hundred and fifty Soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation left for Fort Hood, Texas on June 9 and June 10 to prepare for a deployment to Kuwait in support of U.S. Central Command.
On June 13 and June 14, 1,130 Soldiers from New York City’s 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry, along with companies from the 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry, and the 2nd Squadron 101st Cavalry, which together constitute Task Force Wolfhound, held farewells marking their deployment to the Horn of Africa.
They departed for Fort Drum, New York and will train there for two weeks—meeting all of U.S. Africa Command’s training requirements. Then they move to Fort Bliss, Texas, for two more months of training before heading to Camp Lemmonier in Djibouti as a security task force.
“When we hit the ground in Africa this September, this will be the most ready battalion in the United States Army, Lt. Col. Shawn Tabankin, the commander of the 69th Infantry, told 600 Soldiers at a June 14 ceremony at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan.
2022 is the largest deployment year for the New York Army National Guard since 2008-2009 when the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team deployed to Afghanistan, according to Army Maj. Gen. Michel Natali, the New York National Guard’s assistant adjutant general, Army.
Along with the aviation battalion and the task force built around the 69th Infantry, the New York National Guard will deploy the 642nd Aviation Support Battalion, the 369th Sustainment Brigade, the 101st Expeditionary Signal Battalion, and other small support elements to Kuwait before the fall of 2022.
The 3rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation, is an assault helicopter battalion which has companies and support elements at Army Aviation Support Facilities at Albany International Airport in Latham, New York and at Long Island McArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma, New York.
A training rotation to support units at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California in 2021, did a lot to prepare the Soldiers for a Middle East deployment, said Lt. Col. Matt Green, the battalion commander.
Originally, only one assault helicopter company and some supporting elements were slated to deploy.
But that changed in late 2021 to include both of the helicopter companies based in New York and the bulk of the battalion headquarters and support companies deploying, Green said.
The battalion’s C Company is split between the Maine and Connecticut Army National Guards.
The battalion has emphasized individual readiness during weekend training, and annual training at Fort Drum, Green said. The battalion will focus on collective training and the skills needed to conduct and coordinate air assaults while at Fort Hood, he added.
The battalion launched 11 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters from Latham and ten from Ronkonkoma flowing farewell ceremonies held on June 9. The rest of the troops deployed by chartered airplane.
Task Force Wolfhound, which takes its name form the Irish dog which is the official mascot of the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry, has been training for 18 months to be ready for the mission, Tabankin said.
The COVID-19 pandemic meant the battalion didn’t have the normal two-year training period to get ready, Tabankin said. This mean that traditional weekend drills turned into four to five days of training to get everything done, he said.
“Sometimes utilizing a full week down at Fort Dix, was really the only way we could meet our individual, leader, and collective training goals,” Tabankin said.
In Djibouti, the task force will provide security at Camp Lemonnier, a former French Foreign Legion post used by the United States since 2002. They will also be tasked with security missions at remote locations as well, Tabankin said.
The mission requirements necessitated reaching out across the New York Army National Guard for Soldiers, Tabankin said.
The 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry and 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry, which have units across upstate New York, each contributed 130 -Soldier companies.
The task force also includes combat engineers from Binghamton’s 204th Engineer Battalion, a platoon from the 207th Military Police Company, and Joint Tactical Air Controllers from the New York Air National Guard.
The 69th Infantry has a strong tradition of service in the Civil War, World War I, World War II and in Iraq in 2005, Tabankin told 600 Soldiers and 1000 family members during the farewell ceremony at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.
The 69th Infantry was manned by Irish immigrants in the days before the Civil War. Today the citizen Soldiers of the 69th Infantry include immigrants from 33 different countries who share service together, he emphasized.
“That immigrant fighting spirit, which makes true New Yorkers, and the melting pot, which makes true Americans, continues to form a foundation of strength in this battalion,” Tabankin said.
Tabankin reiterated that message during a second farewell ceremony for 300 Soldiers at the Nassau County Police Academy on Long Island.
Major General Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York, also spoke at both farewell events.
“We know that today is a difficult day for many as it represents the start of a lengthy absence of your loved ones to faraway places in Africa,” Shields said. “But it is also a day of immense pride and love of our state and nation as these citizen soldiers deploy to protect our freedoms.”
The farewell ceremony for the Soldiers for the 101st Cavalry was held on June 13 at Hobart and Smith College in Geneva, New York, while the troops from the 108th Infantry held their goodbye ceremony at Mohawk Community College in Utica, New York.
“It’s never easy telling a loved one or a family member that you have to leave,” said Sgt. Nicholas Murphy, a member of the 101st Cavalry’s A Troop, following the Geneva event.
"Our number one priority in the Army National Guard is to keep the community safe, and then if we get called upon to deploy, to keep our nation safe,” Murphy said.
| Date Taken: | 06.16.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 06.16.2022 09:47 |
| Story ID: | 423137 |
| Location: | NEW YORK, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 776 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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