Florida aviators provide support from the air on last day of Iraq war

Photo By 94th Airlift Wing | Air crews prepare for departure to provide aerial support for the last U.S. service members to leave Iraq. On Dec. 18, 2011, the 1-111th escorted the last U.S. service members out of Iraq, making them the last Army aviation unit to fly combat missions in support of Operation New Dawn.  

KUWAIT

12.19.2011

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Blair Heusdens 

Florida National Guard Public Affairs Office

KUWAIT -- As the last remaining military forces in Iraq crossed the Iraqi border into Kuwait in the early morning of Dec. 18, 2011, soldiers from the Florida National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 111th Aviation Regiment were right there with them. Their mission was to provide security for the ground convoys from the air, ensuring all U.S. service members exited Iraq safely.

“I am extremely proud of the soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 111th Aviation Regiment, and all of our Soldiers and Airmen who have served in Iraq since 2003,” said Maj. Gen. Emmett R. Titshaw Jr., the adjutant general of Florida. “It is fitting that since Florida Guardsmen played a key role in the beginning hours of this conflict that we would also be there to close the mission and bring our service members back safely.”

Approximately 45 aircraft were involved in the operation at any given time, including Air Force and Navy fighter and command and control aircraft, tankers and unmanned aerial vehicles, in addition to the 1-111th aircraft and the Army aircraft supporting several military commanders involved in the operation.

Soldiers of the unit’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company and Company A conducted convoy clearance operations for the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division as they brought the last of their equipment and approximately 500 soldiers from Contingency Operating Base Adder in Talil, Iraq, to the Khabari border crossing in Kuwait.

Soldiers from Company B conducted air movement operations from Udairi Army Air Field to Basra. They were also on hand as a quick reaction force, if needed, to bring soldiers in for additional support if the convoy was attacked.

Soldiers from Company C were available to provide medical evacuation support. This marked one of the final missions of their deployment as the unit transitions back to the U.S. in the coming weeks.

After all of the Florida National Guard aviators had landed, Gen. Lloyd Austin, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, held a press conference announcing all troops were out of Iraq and Operation New Dawn was complete. These Florida National Guard soldiers will stand in history as the last Army aviation unit to fly combat missions in support of Operation New Dawn.

Three of the Florida pilots: Capt. Scott Riley, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christopher Tenaro and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Ray Freeman have the distinction of being deployed with the first National Guard aviation unit deployed to Iraq in 2004 as well as the last National Guard aviation unit to depart Iraq in 2011.

As the war in Iraq ends, soldiers from Company C are making their way back to the U.S. and to their families after deploying from Florida in early February. Other Florida National Guard soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 111th Aviation Regiment who deployed in late August will continue their deployment in Kuwait until they return to their families sometime in 2012.

• Date Taken: 12.19.2011
• Date Posted: 12.21.2011 09:44
• Story ID: 81642
• Location: KW