Photo By Sgt. Matthew Lucibello | Connecticut Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, left, shakes hands with a Connecticut Army...... read more read more
HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut Army National Guard soldiers from Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment and Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation Regiment were honored by Connecticut Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas, and Attorney General William Tong during a welcome home ceremony at the Governor William A. O’Neill Armory in Hartford on April 20, 2024.
These soldiers originally departed Connecticut on Feb. 7, 2023 to support the 185th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade’s (ECAB) mission within the U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility, part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the continued fight against ISIS. Once in theater, the units’ personnel were divided among multiple sites within different countries.
Charlie Company, 3-126 operated out of six locations within Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Kuwait. Here, the unit performed medical evacuation, or MEDEVAC, missions, transporting injured personnel to military medical facilities so that they can get proper treatment.
Notably, Capt. Colin Gurry and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Lucier conducted the first of two Point-of-Injury, or POI, MEDEVACs within the unit’s assigned area of operations. Additionally, Staff Sgt. Ryan Will coordinated with the 185th ECAB’s flight surgeon, U.S. Air Force medical personnel and other Camp Buehring personnel to authorize the MEDEVAC platoon to keep blood stocked up and on standby. This enabled the platoon to be able to quickly conduct blood transfusions if need be and therefore enhanced the platoon’s life saving capabilities. By the end of the deployment, 3-126 conducted over 152 MEDEVAC missions.
Charlie Company, 3-142 operated out of five locations within Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Kuwait, supporting multiple task forces including Task Force Nighthawk in Erbil, Iraq, Task Force Cardinal in Baghdad and Jordan, and Task Force Shikra in Kuwait. The unit provided support to logistical operations by conducting resupply and troop movement missions in Iraq and Syria. Additionally, C. Co. facilitated the movement of distinguished visitors and very important persons throughout the Area of Operations.
With just ten aircraft, C. Co. accumulated 3,193 combat flight hours, averaging the most flight time per airframe in theater. One crew chief, Sgt. Michael Justo, racked up over 1,000 flight hours over the course of the deployment, followed by Capt. Marc Winchester, and fellow crew chief, Sgt. Ryan Gummoe, who both exceeded over 500 flight hours.
Elements from both C. Co, 3-126 and C. Co, 3-142 also trained with coalition forces, conducting multi-ship flights alongside coalition aircraft, gave MEDEVAC courses to ground forces to better prepare them to conduct medical evacuations and work safely in and around aircraft, and cross-trained with U.S. Air Force aeromedical personnel operating out of fixed-wing platforms. Lastly, both units also provided maintenance and logistical support to Task Force Blackhorse and the Crisis Response Task Force, or CRTF, which assisted their movements through Iraq, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
With their outstanding motivation, resolute professionalism and expert technical skill, these soldiers, Connecticut’s Army Aviators, enhanced the combat effectiveness of both U.S. and coalition forces operating within their Area of Responsibility.
| Date Taken: | 05.06.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 05.06.2024 17:25 |
| Story ID: | 470461 |
| Location: | HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, US |
| Web Views: | 134 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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