Photo By Sgt. Joe Padula | Col. Arthur Kandarian, brigade commander, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne...... read more read more
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FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — The 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), remembered the fallen men and women who died over Gander, Newfoundland, during a memorial ceremony Saturday.
The 248 "Screaming Eagles" that died Dec. 12, 1985, in the horrific Arrow Airlines flight 1285 accident shortly after take-off from Gander International Airport in Newfoundland, Canada, were in route to returning home from doing their vital part in bringing peace to a region of the world that has seen more often than not, war and violence.
The 1948 Arab-Israeli War dramatically escalated the conflict between Israel and its surrounding neighbors. Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria all attacked the newly named state of Israel, yet the Jewish state refused to surrender.
In 1949 the Armistice Agreement was signed and peace was to follow, but Egypt would not honor the treaty. In the decades to come, Egypt and Israel would both see much bloodshed as the two nations would continue to have engagements with heavy conflicts against each other. The Suez Canal Crisis, the Six-Day War, the War of Attrition and the Yom Kippur War would cause much death to the hostile region. The fighting simply had to end.
Following a 12-day secret meeting at Camp David, Md., Sept. 17, 1978, Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin signed the Camp David Accords at the White House, witnessed by then President Jimmy Carter. The accords laid out the framework for peace between the two enemies and led directly to the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty being signed March 29, 1979, ending the long-fought battles.
The treaty called for the three states to hold negotiations to set up a peacekeeping organization and on Aug. 31, 1981, the Protocol to the Treaty of Peace was signed, establishing the Multi-National Force and Observers.
The MFO is an observation force which monitors Egypt's and Israel's compliance to the terms of the treaty. Twelve nations in all provide units from it military with the United States contributing the majority of forces. These forces are deployed to Sinai, a large triangular peninsula connecting Egypt and Israel. Because of the importance and value placed on the success of this mission, only the best of the best military units were sent. In 1985, the 101st Airborne Division sent theirs.
For six-months, Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, were the ones responsible for keeping the world at peace during the middle of the decade. By operating checkpoints, observation posts and conducting reconnaissance patrols on the international borders, these keepers of peace ensured the freedom of movement in and out of the Strait of Tiran while maintaining a re-opened Suez Canal.
These brave enforcers ensured the bloodshed had truly ended and the effectiveness of which the Strike Soldiers had resulted in creating the lasting state of peace of which the two nations continue to share to this day. The 2nd BCT was once again on the front lines of the world's battles.
"The Multi-National Force and Observers in the 80's was the real world mission," said Col. Arthur Kandarian, brigade commander, 2nd BCT. "Before operations in Panama and Desert Storm, this was the biggest deal and Strike was there on the front lines."
Even though the peace treaty was signed by the heads of state, the governments of Egypt and Israel still were still mistrustful and apprehensive toward each other. Tensions were thick and the smallest spark could trigger all out warfare.
"Both sides were extremely suspicious of the other and hostilities remained high in that part of the world and if not for the presence of the Soldiers either country could have potentially invaded," said John O'Brian, the installation's historian. "There would not have been a peace treaty if not for these credible and determined force."
Just as it was in 1985, the Sinai continues to be a dangerous area with a strong presence of terrorist groups looking to bring conflict and war back into the region. Handling situations involving Improvised Explosive Devices being planted throughout the land, underwater mines installed in the rivers, suicide bomber and rescue missions for the kidnapped and the missing are all part of the day-to-day operations of the brave Soldiers there. The Sinai accomplishments of the Soldiers from the 3rd Bn., 502nd Inf. Regt., will never be forgotten, nor will they.
"We honor these valiant and selfless servants of the greatest country in the world and we are always reminded of their sacrifice and also that they stood on the wall of freedom and they served for those who could not or who would not, in order to keep the peace in the Sinai," said Kandarian at a memorial service Dec. 12. "We never forget and we honor them more than once a year."
| Date Taken: | 12.12.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 12.15.2009 19:16 |
| Story ID: | 42801 |
| Location: | FORT CAMPBELL, US |
| Web Views: | 297 |
| Downloads: | 204 |
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