Photo By Iain Jaramillo | Chief Warrant Officer 5 David Cobb, commander of Det. 6, A Company, 2-245th Aviation...... read more read more
SANTA FE, N.M. – Soldiers of the New Mexico Army National Guard’s Detachment 6, A Company, 2-245th Aviation Regiment, officially returned home Nov. 2, after completing a deployment in Colombia and the U.S. Southern Command Area of Responsibility.
Five pilots, a flight operations noncommissioned officer, and the commander, took turns completing two 4-month rotations in Colombia, where they flew a C-12 Huron plane in support of Security Force Assistance Brigades and troops stationed in the region.
The Soldiers were welcomed home by friends, family, and senior leaders at a redeployment ceremony Nov. 4, hosted at the Santa Fe Readiness Center here.
“Be proud that you have sacrificed, early in your life, to do what this nation needs us to do,” said Brig. Gen. Miguel Aguilar, the adjutant general of New Mexico, during the ceremony. “Thank you so much.”
Aguilar spoke directly to the family members who attended the ceremony. “I want to thank you all personally. It was such a small group, but thank you for lending them to us,” Aguilar said.
The aviators were responsible for flying demanding support missions during their time.
“Weather reporting was slim to nonexistent, so you never knew what you were getting into,” said Chief Warrant Officer 5 David Cobb, commander of Det. 6. “There was lots of low weather, thunderstorms, and mountainous terrain. Bogotá is at 8000 feet, so aircraft performance is significantly reduced. We were also landing in jungle strips and unmaintained runways.”
“We have U.S. forces stationed in extremely remote locations throughout Colombia,” said Cobb. “They are 100 percent dependent on that airplane. A one-hour flight can be a 24-hour drive through unfriendly territory in a lot of cases.”
| Date Taken: | 11.04.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 11.04.2022 18:06 |
| Story ID: | 432701 |
| Location: | SANTA FE, NM, US |
| Web Views: | 60 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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