Photo By Matthew Jones | Col. Teresa Gallagher, the 28th Combat Aviation Brigade commander from Chambersburg,...... read more read more
Subscribe
CAMP ADDER, Iraq - Soldiers of the Pennsylvania National Guard's 28th Combat Aviation Brigade, 28th Infantry Division, accepted a unique gift on behalf of their unit for its 50th birthday - a combat patch.
The 50th anniversary of the brigade coincided with the timing of the traditional combat patch ceremony for the Soldiers and was celebrated as one and the same.
The Soldiers arrived in Camp Adder, Iraq, at the end of April after a three month training period at Fort Sill, Okla., and Camp Buehring, Kuwait. They will wear the black keystone patch during their deployment, which is expected to last until early 2010, and will be authorized to wear it after they return.
According to Capt. Anthony Gurski, the 28th CAB historian from Pine Grove, Pa., the combat patch is a tradition that dates back to World War I when soldiers began wearing an extra unit patch on their right shoulder. Soldiers were officially authorized to wear this patch on their right sleeve during World War II. This distinguished the soldiers who had combat experience from those who did not.
The commander of the 28th CAB Headquarters Company, Capt. Michael Nguyen of Plymouth Meeting, Pa., said wearing the patch is an honor, because it gives him a chance to remember the people he served with during the deployment.
"For me, wearing the patch is all about people," said Nguyen, who also serves his country at home as a police officer in Astoria, N.Y. "As I switch between the combat patches I have earned so far, I often reflect on the Soldiers I have served with and the experiences we have shared."
Spc. Crystal Bush, an administrative specialist from St. Marys, Pa., who is serving in the CAB during her first deployment, echoed her commander's statements. "I'm definitely proud to wear the keystone," she said. "It not only symbolizes the unit I've served with, but the people as well," said Bush. "If I served with another unit, I would probably be equally proud to wear their patch though. It's about the people."
The 28th CAB, which is based out of Fort Indiantown Gap in Lebanon, Pa., but includes soldiers from nearly a dozen states, is the fourth unit to be awarded the 28th ID patch as a combat patch in recent history. The 1/107th Field Artillery (military police), the 2nd Brigade Combat Team and the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team were the others.
While addressing the Soldiers of the 28th CAB, Col. Teresa Gallagher, the brigade commander from Chambersburg, Pa., told her Soldiers to "wear the patch with honor and never forget those who gave their lives while proudly wearing the keystone." There have been 34 Pennsylvania National Guard members killed in action since Sept. 11, 2001.
"We must also remember to uphold the proud heritage established by those who served before us," said Gallagher. "As we selflessly give of our time, we'll become another part of the keystone history."
"Fifty years may seem like a long time to some of us, but when you think in terms of world history, it's a drop in the bucket," said Gallagher.
Gurski described the changes the brigade has seen since it was created. "Like most units, this brigade has undergone an evolution since its birth as the 28th Aviation Company on the first of June, 1959," said Gurski. "The brigade now has five battalions and three different airframes, totaling more than 100 aircraft," he said.
The unit has grown gradually to meet the need of the citizens for whom they serve.
"The Citizen-Soldiers of the 28th have always been there to lend a helping hand to our fellow citizens," said Gallagher. The aviators and support staff of the 28th CAB have helped transport vehicles and place bridges. They have even performed rescue missions and transported life-support equipment and supplies during countless storms and floods, both in Pennsylvania and around the nation, including the recovery effort after Hurricane Katrina.
The 28th CAB has always answered the call to federal service as well. Soldiers in the brigade have served in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, to name a few.
"And now is our chance to make our mark on the history of the aviation brigade," said Gurski. "Although subordinate units and individual members of the 28th CAB have been regularly deployed, this is the first time in its 50-year history that the brigade has deployed as a single element."
The 28th CAB is also making history outside of the brigade. Along with the 28th ID's 56th Stryker Brigade, the 28th CAB is part of the largest combat deployment for the Pennsylvania National Guard since World War II.
According to Gurski, the 28th ID is the oldest division-sized unit in the Unites States armed forces. It was immortalized as the "Iron Division" in 1917 by the commander of the Armies, Gen. John "Blackjack" Pershing. During World War II, the patch was commonly called the bloody bucket by the Germans, due to its red color and distinctive shape.
| Date Taken: | 06.02.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 06.02.2009 09:32 |
| Story ID: | 34420 |
| Location: | TALLIL, IQ |
| Web Views: | 1,601 |
| Downloads: | 1,139 |
This work, 50th Birthday Celebrated With a Combat Patch, by Matthew Jones, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
