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By 2nd Lt. Eric Connor
First Army Public Affairs
FORT GILLEM, Ga. -- Mission accomplished and headed home.
Members of the Pennsylvania National Guard's 28th Combat Aviation Brigade, also known as Task Force Keystone, are beginning to return following their successful deployment to Iraq. The Soldiers were in Iraq for approximately eight months.
The first group arrived at Fort Dix, N.J., in mid-December, and will head to Fort Indiantown Gap for out-processing and demobilization just in time for the holidays. The remaining elements of the CAB will redeploy in late December and mid-January.
This deployment of the 28th CAB was the largest aviation deployment in Pennsylvania Army National Guard history. While in Iraq, the pilots, mechanics and support personnel provided helicopter air support and transportation needed to aid Iraq's transition to local security force control.
First Army, as the primary trainers for the 28th CAB, look at this brigade as one of the best examples of citizen-soldiers answering the call to duty and performing in combat in an honorable manner. From First Army's perspective this was a highly successful mobilization by an organization that was well led and motivated to serve their country.
From January through April 2009, nearly 2,500 Soldiers from nine states were mobilized, trained, and later deployed from Fort Sill, Okla., to Camp Adder, Iraq. While at Fort Sill, members of the 28th CAB inventoried their equipment, conducted company and battalion level collective training, door and aircrew gunnery training, and an eight-day mission rehearsal exercise before loading their equipment for Iraq.
Col. Teresa A. Gallagher, the commander of the 28th CAB, led the Soldiers into Iraq. Gallagher's initial challenge was to bring together all the elements of the brigade from those nine states. Facing daunting personnel challenges and the inherent problems with combining an organization from different states, she provided the leadership and direction for a remarkably complex yet highly successful deployment.
Once the brigade staged in Kuwait, Gallagher again was challenged by a last minute mission change and diverted to a completely new location. Without missing a beat she led the brigade into their new zone in a calm and professional manner, a huge testament to the unit's agility and the quality of its leadership and its Soldiers of all ranks. As well, it is worthy to note that this was the first time a combat aviation brigade had been commanded by a female in a combat.
Once fully deployed the 28th CAB took control of aviation operations in southern Iraq and performed the full-spectrum of aviation operation tasks, including troop and equipment transport, combat operations, air-assault training for Iraqi and U.S. special-operations forces, and airlifting non-operational vehicles from the battlefield.
Under Gallagher's leadership, the 28th CAB Soldiers flew in excess of 25,000 flight hours, moved almost 60,000 passengers and 2.5 billion pounds of cargo, and participated in multiple combat missions, all with the use of CH-47 Chinook, AH-64 Apache and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. The brigade also marked the milestone of seeing the unit's first all-female Medical Evacuation team make history during the deployment.
"There must have been another all-female MEDEVAC crew somewhere, but I haven't seen one," said Chief Warrant Officer Andrea Galatian, the pilot.
"The odds are slim for such a crew to come up on rotation," said Maj. David Mattimore, Commander, C Company, 3-238th MEDEVAC, from Hampton, N.H.
During its deployment, the 28th CAB, also unit celebrated its 50th birthday, which it marked by receiving a combat patch, for its service in Iraq.
"As the leader of this tremendous group of Soldiers, I must say that I couldn't be more proud," said Gallagher.
Recently, Lt. Gen. Thomas G. Miller, Commanding General of First Army, visited the 28th CAB in Iraq. "The entire First Army Team is as proud of Col Gallagher and all the Soldiers and officers of the 28th CAB as if they were our own", said Miller upon conclusion of the visit. "We know Pennsylvania must be equally proud and look forward to welcoming home these combat veterans".
| Date Taken: | 01.05.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 01.05.2010 11:20 |
| Story ID: | 43455 |
| Location: | FORT GILLEM, US |
| Web Views: | 649 |
| Downloads: | 575 |
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