Task Force Keystone Part of Historic Pennsylvania Deployment

Photo By Matthew Jones | Soldiers work on the flightline at Henry Posy Army Airfield, Fort SIll, Okla. They are preparing to 28th Combat Aviation Brigade's various aircraft, the Chinook, Black Hawk and Apache helicopters.  

UNITED STATES

02.18.2009

Story by Sgt. Matthew Jones 

28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade

The Pennsylvania Army National Guard is one of the largest Army National Guards in the country and as such they shoulder a tremendous amount of responsibility. Roughly 15,000 members strong, the commonwealth's soldiers have seen their fair share of deployments.

Between 2005 and 2006, thousands of members of the state's 2nd Brigade deployed to Iraq. In 2007 and 2008, more than a thousand soldiers with the 104th Cavalry and 103rd Armor Regiments were sent to Egypt and Afghanistan respectively.

But the state's readiness has never been more evident than now. The state is facing it's largest mobilization into a combat zone since World War II.

THE HISTORY
Late in 2007, nearly 1,200 Pennsylvania National Guard members of the 28th Infantry Division's 28th Combat Aviation Brigade were alerted for deployment. It was a general assumption the unit would begin mobilizing early in 2009.

The brigade consists of soldiers from several other states and is more than 2,500 strong. But this wasn't the only impressive fact surrounding the deployment. The Pennsylvania National Guard's 56th Stryker Brigade, the only brigade of its kind in the National Guard, had been alerted for deployment only months prior and the brigade's 4,000 soldiers were expecting to mobilize late in 2008. This meant more than 5,000 soldiers from the Pennsylvania National Guard would be deployed simultaneously.
Sure enough, in September 2008, the soldiers of the 56th reported for duty and their brethren in the 28th CAB were eager for their turn.

GETTING READY
Due to the unique mission of the 56th Stryker Brigade, many of the soldiers anticipated the deployment, said Capt. Cory Angell, 56th Brigade public affairs officer. As a whole, the brigade was trained and ready to go. Angell said the training was definitely turned up a notch, but the advance notice was merely confirmation of what was expected. It afforded soldiers the opportunity to transform the way they thought about things from 'probably' into 'definitely.'

It's possible that some members of the 28th CAB may not have been so certain about the likelihood of deploying until the alert order was issued.

But it wasn't long before the leadership began ramping up the training. Before they knew it, the soldiers were having extended drill weekends and extra periods of annual training just like the Stryker Brigade had. The soldiers may not have realized how valuable that training was until they arrived at Fort Sill, Okla., where they will spend the majority of their pre-deployment mobilization.

"After the Secretary of the Army made it official that National Guard units could only deploy for 400 days, the Army had to find a way to extend the boots-on-ground time, or time in country, versus the time spent training on active duty status," said Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Wevodau, the 28th CAB sergeant major.

According to Wevodau, it's the pre-mobilization training that allows the Army to shorten National Guard deployments to roughly 12 months, which includes the time spent mobilizing.

NOW WHAT?
In February, the 56th Stryker Brigade began its mission in the Middle East. After spending some time in Kuwait acclimating to the weather, among other things, they prepared to move into Iraq where they will temporarily work side by side with the unit that they are replacing.

The brigade will conduct a spectrum of missions to include conducting security patrols, training Iraqi soldiers and meeting with local dignitaries.

While the 56th is getting started in Iraq, the 28th CAB is getting started in Oklahoma. The training conducted here includes a mission readiness exercise which will test the ability of the soldiers to conduct their individual jobs effectively.

After training at Fort Sill, they will follow in the Stryker Brigade's footsteps and head to Kuwait. Their mission in Iraq will include aviation-related peacekeeping operations with the ultimate goal of ensuring the seamless transfer of security responsibilities to Iraqi security forces.

Because of the advance notice both units received, it is likely they will return home to their families and friends roughly one year after they had left them, but the soldiers are thinking about more than that, said Wevodau.

"We're still at home in our heads and it might take a few weeks for people to begin to primarily focus on the mission," said Wevodau. "We never truly put home out of our minds, but there's an important job to be done and people know that."

• Date Taken: 02.18.2009
• Date Posted: 02.18.2009 14:08
• Story ID: 30168
• Location: US