Photo By Staff Sgt. Cody Harding | Maj. Peter Perzel shows the Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq, barber shop to...... read more read more
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COB ADDER, Iraq — The Soldiers of the Oklahoma National Guard's 2nd Attack Helicopter Battalion, 285th Aviation Regiment from Tulsa, have provided air and reconnaissance support to United States Division — South since December 2009.
A part of Task Force 12, their area of operations covers most of southern Iraq. This, of course, comes with the usual stresses of deployment, including being away from home.
KOTV, the local CBS Affiliate station in Tulsa, sent two reporters to cover the local unit and to show appreciation for the unit's mission from their hometown.
Lori Fullbright and Oscar Pea of the News on Six, who have reported on the Bosnian conflict and Marines in the Adriatic Sea, were sent to Contingency Operating Base Adder, from where the unit operates, to show their friends and families the conditions Soldiers endure while overseas.
Fullbright said that she and Oscar remained flexible during their trip.
"We weren't sure what to expect, of course," said Fullbright, a Tulsa resident. "We were a little nervous about the logistics of it, how it would work. We had some delays due to the sandstorm. But once we got picked up in the Black Hawk it was all worth it."
The reporters were taken on a tour of COB Adder and shown the various services it provides to Soldiers. Their tour included the AAFES Post Exchange, the post office, the maintenance area and the Warrior's Dining Facility. Chief Warrant Officer 3 William Kavanagh, a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot with Company B, 2nd Bn., 285th Aviation Regt. and a Tulsa native, said that the embedded reporters bring something new to the daily operations for the unit.
"With the embeds here, in a sense we get to tell a story, show a story and hopefully get our families to understand a little bit about what this environment is, what this mission is and just how we are getting through this mission," Kavanagh said. "It's a positive story."
Fullbright and Pea sat with some Soldiers for interviews and shout-outs for their families back in Tulsa, asking them questions about their job and experiences in Iraq. The interviews left an impression on Fullbright, who hopes to air the completed story in May.
"We've been amazingly impressed by everybody that we've seen so far and the job they're doing," said Fullbright. "It's hard for us being away from our families for a week; I can't imagine what it's like to be away six months or a year. We just have so much appreciation for this."
| Date Taken: | 04.09.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 04.20.2010 10:51 |
| Story ID: | 48404 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IQ |
| Web Views: | 207 |
| Downloads: | 122 |
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