Photo By Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Smith | Lt. Col. Joseph Birchmeier, commander of the 4-1 Brigade Special Troops Battalion,...... read more read more
By Spc. Nathaniel Smith
4th BCT, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs
BAGHDAD – Soldiers of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division may have felt like they had someone watching over them at some point during their current deployment.
That's because they have.
Members of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Platoon from Company B, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th "Dragon" Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division received division-level certificates of achievement at Forward Operating Base Falcon in southern Baghdad, for flying more than 1,000 accident-free miles Nov. 10.
The section has been providing target acquisition, surveillance and reconnaissance in the Dragons' area of operations.
Staff Sgt. Brandon Kroviak, the site non-commissioned officer-in-charge at Falcon with Co. B, said the accomplishment was a rare feat.
"Not a lot of people reach 1,000 hours within nine months of being here. It's a lot in a little bit of time," the San Diego native said. "When you're at that tempo, accidents can happen. We're flying non-stop here; that's not a trend across division."
Spc. James Crank, a UAV operator with Co. B from Colorado Springs, Colo., passed credit for the award to his platoon-mates.
"I don't know if it's an act of God or what. I know we're doing good things, but it's all up to the bird," he said. "The maintainers are doing an outstanding job. That's probably the biggest reason why. It's probably one of the best groups of people I've worked with. We're more like a family than a platoon."
Kroviak, a nine-year Army veteran, had other reasons the platoon was able to accomplish all it has.
"Attention to detail, situational awareness and training has played a lot into that; they strive to do the best they can," he said. "They've been pushing themselves; they never stop trying to be the best."
Lt. Col. Joseph Birchmeier, the commander of the 4-1st BSTB, appreciated the value of his pilots due to their demand for all kinds of events in sector, such as improvised explosive devices detonating and troops reacting to contact.
"Everybody wants to know where the UAV is all the time. They are an extremely valuable asset," Birchmeier said. "Their skills are incredibly valued as they've shown throughout the year they are more than proficient at what they do. It's a privilege to be able to recognize their great performance."
Kroviak expected his Soldiers to be recognized at the brigade level, but he said it was good to see their higher headquarters taking an interest.
"It's great," he said. "I didn't know it was going to go that high when we first put it in."
| Date Taken: | 12.02.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 12.03.2007 17:48 |
| Story ID: | 14387 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 168 |
| Downloads: | 108 |
This work, Dragons' Wingmen: UAV Platoon honored for accident-free milestone, by SSG Nathaniel Smith, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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