Photo By Capt. Aaron Shaffer | Nine black hawk helicopters are staged at an airfield in Fort Hood, Texas, June 18,...... read more read more
FORT HOOD, TEXAS (June 23, 2018) – Over 1,500 U.S. Army and Air National Guard Soldiers are scheduled to deploy in the coming weeks to the Middle East in support of Operation Spartan Shield and Operation Inherent Resolve.
The 35th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), headquartered in Sedalia, Missouri, has three battalions falling under its command for the duration of the deployment. The battalions are made up of U.S. National Guard Soldiers from 14 states, including: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Vermont.
Once in country, the 35th CAB will also be joined by elements from the U.S. Active Duty and Reserves component, U.S. Air Force, and the Spanish Army. They will all report to the 35th CAB throughout the deployment, said Lt. Col. Derrick Jennings, Executive Officer for the 35th CAB.
One of the battalions, the 935th Aviation Support Battalion (ASB), from Springfield, Missouri, will provide intermediate aircraft maintenance, communications and signal support, logistical support in the form of bulk fuel distribution and ammunition distribution, water distribution, and vehicle maintenance and recovery operations, said Jennings.
The 1-108th Assault Helicopter Battalion’s (AHB), from Topeka, Kansas, primary mission is to conduct air movement and air assault operations with troops using UH-60 black hawk helicopters. Air assaults are movements of troops into areas difficult, or impossible, to reach by other means. Air movements are operations that move troops from one point to another, said Jennings.
The 2-211th General Support Aviation Brigade, headquartered in West Jordan, Utah, provides CH-47 Chinook helicopters with heavy lifting abilities, dedicated medical evacuation helicopters, and Command and Control aircraft, said Col. Charles Hausman, the Brigade Commander, 35th CAB.
“An aviation brigade supports the ground commander,” said Hausman. “The ground commander has a plan of what they want to accomplish. We integrate with them to provide aviation support and options to them as they are developing their plans. We can move faster, quicker, and farther in a shorter amount of time than trucks moving across the ground. We have that unique ability.”
The mission is to aid the ground commander by giving them the freedom of maneuverability and allow the ground teams the ability to execute their jobs safely, said Jennings.
Hausman said the safety of his Soldiers is first and foremost; and he wants to bring them home better than when they left and provide each person with valuable experience. Not only will they come back with a year’s worth of job, or Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), specific experience, but there will be numerous opportunities for civilian education and military education. He said he encourages all of the Soldiers to utilize these resources throughout the deployment.
Now beginning his third deployment, Command Sgt. Maj. Javier Acosta, Command Sergeant Major of the 35th CAB, said this deployment will provide Soldiers a unique opportunity to see the broader picture. Not only have Soldiers historically prepared for war, they’ve trained to facilitate and maintain peace.
“Every Soldier needs to come away with this as a defining moment in their lives and in their career,” said Acosta. “That’s what I hope to bring, either through maintaining morale or having great events that promote the performance of our Soldiers. I think the 35th CAB can do that because we have great leadership and we have great Soldiers that want to be here.”
“I understand that there’s probably some apprehension, you might say, of deploying,” he said. “But, to the left of us and to the right of us are our battle buddies, there are seasoned people that can bring out the best in some of our inexperienced Soldiers.”
While the brigade staff has had multiple opportunities over the past year to meet the individuals who make up the commands of the lower echelons, the pre-deployment training Soldiers conduct here, at Fort Hood, Texas, is the culminating event. These experiences will allow the Soldiers to operate together, as well as, grow together, said Jennings.
“We are blessed with a great team,” said Hausman. “This is probably the strongest team that I’ve seen. I’m very proud of it. I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together.”
| Date Taken: | 06.23.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 06.23.2018 12:03 |
| Story ID: | 282060 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TEXAS, US |
| Hometown: | SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, US |
| Hometown: | SEDALIA, MISSOURI, US |
| Hometown: | SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI, US |
| Hometown: | TOPEKA, KANSAS, US |
| Hometown: | WEST JORDAN, UTAH, US |
| Web Views: | 580 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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