Photo By Sgt. Samantha Stoffregen | Lt. Col. Eric Beaty, commander of 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade...... read more read more
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FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - Several hundred family members and friends waited in the early morning hours on Sept. 25 at Hangar 3 on Fort Campbell to welcome home the Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
More than 250 “Bulldog” Soldiers returned to Fort Campbell after completing a seven-month deployment in southern Afghanistan.
“Our mission in Afghanistan rotated around two primary tasks,” said Lt. Col. Eric Beaty, commander of the Bulldogs. “The first was providing mission command and the second was force protection of Tactical Base Dwyer.”
The Bulldogs deployed in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel and Operation Resolute Support. The main focus for the operations is to provide training, advice, and assistance to the Afghan security forces.
“The task force increased the force protection assets and capabilities of the base as well as brought all the base tenants, approximately 1,100 that lived there, under one roof and under one mission command,” Beaty said. “The Soldiers also increased the efficiency of services provided on that base.”
Beaty said about 40% of his formation had never deployed before and the other 60% had previous deployments to other regions of Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.
“In this deployment we were operating under Operation Freedom’s Sentinel and Operation Resolute Support, so it was a deployment like none had seen before,” Beaty said. “The Bulldogs really displayed flexibility and agility. I was really able to see [the] growth of professional Soldiers as they operated in the austere environment of the last seven months.”
The Bulldog Soldiers were given approximately 30 days’ notice to prepare for this deployment, but Beaty said, despite the short time frame, the guys did phenomenal.
“They represented the division and the brigade and the battalion quite well,” Beaty said. “The 255 Soldiers that we took forward with us did an exceptional job at ensuring the security of the strategic base in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.”
Beaty said the next step is reintegration, as Soldiers will have a well-earned opportunity for leave to reintegrate with family and then the battalion will turn their attention to reintegrating as a team.
“The team here in the rear has done some great training progressions, focusing on the Air Assault Big 5 and conducted platoon-level training,” Beaty said. “My plan is now to get the battalion operating as one team again and then continue our training progressions for our next Rendezvous with Destiny.”
| Date Taken: | 09.25.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 12.02.2015 14:40 |
| Story ID: | 183297 |
| Location: | FORT CAMPBELL, KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 75 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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