Third Quarter Activities - Honorary Colonels of Utah

Third Quarter Activities
Army
Utah National Guard 2011 Information Update
Colonel Journal
Headquarters, 65th Fires Brigade will be preparing
Nov 2011
for the upcoming return of the 2nd Battalion, 222nd
Field Artillery, conducting unit-level training and
preparing for Annual Training exercises taking
place next year. The unit will also host its annual
family support Christmas activity in December. The
1-145th Field Artillery will be conducting artillery
certification training beginning in November, with
family support Christmas activities in December,
and equipment preparation for movement to Korea
in January. The 2nd Battalion, 222nd Field Artillery
is scheduled to return from its deployment during
November and December of 2011. They will then be
involved with post-mobilization activities, yellowribbon training and administrative requirements.
In November, the 19th Group will attend both the
Special Operations Command Europe and Special
Operations Command Operations Conferences
in Stuttgart, Germany. These very important
conferences identify what Theater Cooperative
Overseas Engagements the Group will participate
in 2013 as well as confirming upcoming missions in
Veterans Day Concert
Friday, 11/11/11
U of U, Jon M. Huntsman Center
Social 6:00 p.m. - Concert: 7:00 p.m.
2012. An example of the exercises are Flintlock
12 in Mali, Africa, a multi-ODA (Operational
Detachment Alpha, 12-man teams) exercise as
well as another multi-ODA exercise in the Czech
Republic, Poland, Bulgaria and Germany. Also in
November is the United States Army Special Forces
Command, Commander’s Readiness Conference,
that our commander, senior staff, battalion
commanders, and command sergeant majors will
attend. In December, 1st Battalion will attend the
Foal Eagle 12 final planning conference in Korea
for its continued preparation for participation in
that exercise during March 2012. In January the
Advance Detachment for Flintlock 12 will deploy
to Mali, Africa in preparation for the main body
in February. The initial planning conferences for
the European exercises will be conducted in those
respective host countries. Also a Special Forces
Advanced Urban Combat Course will commence
January 23 at Camp Williams.
118th Sappers Company Soldiers Awarded 25 Purple Hearts
A Purple Heart ceremony recognized 18 Soldiers who were injured during their recent deployment to
Afghanistan where the 118th Sapper Company performed route-clearance missions.
Blackhawk Jump for 197
Special Troops Soldiers
2012
Annual
Dues $200
Check made
out to:
Honorary
Colonels Corps
Mail to:
Utah National
Guard
Office of
the Adjutant
General
12953 S.
Minuteman Dr.
Draper, UT
84020
Thank you for
your continued
support!
th
Members of the 197th Special Troops Company
jump from a Blackhawk Sept. 26.
Army continued
As the 97th Aviation Troop Command (97th ATC)
plans its upcoming training, the focus will be on
domestic operations, more specifically, the command
will be preparing for “Utah Shake Out 2012.” The
training scenario will center around the impact a
7.0 earthquake will have on the Wasatch Front. The
97th ATC will play an important role in mitigating
the human suffering as they employ their formidable
aviation assets to serve the citizens of Utah.
The 2nd Battalion, 211th Aviation Regiment (2211th) is entering the new training year having just
turned over many key positions in the Battalion.
As the new commander of 2-211th, LTC Behunin
recently completed a visit of C and F Companies,
spread between the states of Arkansas, Iowa and
Kansas. Over the course of the next few months the
2-211th will be accomplishing many administrative
tasks and briefings while conducting driver’s
training, unit-level maintenance, convoy operations
as well as continuing to prepare for domestic training
events such as “Utah Shake Out 2012.” The 2-211th
is also currently working to finalize annual training
plans with a focus on conducting decentralized
operations. The goal of decentralized operations
is to help units subordinate to the 2-211th learn to
work independently of the Battalion staff and some
of the other services that the Battalion has to offer.
Such exercises develop junior leaders and encourage
greater ingenuity in small-unit settings.
Winter comes early in the mountains of
Afghanistan. Roads used to supply our strategic
outposts become impassable as snow chokes off the
mountain supply routes. The risk of isolating our
Soldiers in hard-to-reach places is real. These
outposts were designed to keep eyes on the
Taliban as well as provide a base from which U.S.
and allied forces could strike deep into Talibancontrolled areas. Isolated and truly alone, these
bases become prime targets for the Taliban. If
it weren’t for the heroic efforts of helicopter
crews from the 2nd Battalion, 211th Aviation
Regiment, these Soldiers could find themselves
without supplies until late spring when the snow
melts and the roads become passable once again.
Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 211th
Aviation Regiment has been deployed since
June of this year. These next few months will
be the busiest time for the 2-211th during its
one-year deployment. Now, more than ever,
the unit’s unique skills are in high demand. The
crews, along with their Blackhawk helicopters,
are the only lifeline to these isolated outposts.
Everything from ammunition, food, medical
care and troop replacements must take place
by helicopter. In the deep of night and in all
weather, when our isolated troops rely on
aviation support, members of this elite Utah
Army National Guard aviation unit make it their
mission to never disappoint.
The detachments of the 1-171st (subordinate
to the 2-211th General Services Aviation
Battalion) are looking forward to receiving their
third UH-60L Blackhawk helicopter. Over the
next few months the 1-171st will continue to
train Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) tasks
and begin hoist training. Towards the end of the
quarter, MEDEVAC crews will conduct a winter
survival exercise.
The 1st Battalion, 211th Aviation
Regiment (Attack/ Recon) is just coming off a
disappointing chain of events that resulted in the
cancellation of their deployment in support of
Operation New Dawn (Iraq). The “Air Pirates,”
as they call themselves, were uniquely prepared
for this much-anticipated deployment but due
to the reduction of U.S. Forces in Iraq, they
learned their services were no longer needed.
The Battalion now finds itself scrambling to fill
the void that the deployment would have filled.
What was once a clear view of the coming year
is now a bit of a waiting game as the Battalion
waits for word to see if their services could be
used in support of Operation Enduring Freedom
(Afghanistan). In the meantime, the Air Pirates
continue to perfect their lethal skills as they
further enhance their reputation as one of the
premier attack helicopter battalions in the Army.
T
he 300th Military Intelligence (MI) Brigade
continues to demonstrate competence and relevance
to the Intelligence community, the Army and the
Utah National Guard. As a result of the experience
and reputation gained through past operations and
deployments, Brigade Soldiers continue to receive
opportunities to provide full-time and part-time
support to wartime requirements and training programs
from home station both as linguist and military
intelligence professionals. Utah has been designated
as a FOUNDRY Center of Excellence, one of only 11
in the country and two in the National Guard. The
FOUNDRY site provides training opportunities to
the intelligence community. The 300th Soldiers have
participated in training 350 personnel over the course
of the year. Participants that have trained at the Utah
FOUNDRY site include National Guard and ActiveDuty Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen. The 300th is also
involved in establishing an Intelligence Readiness
and Operations Capability (IROC) in Utah. Utah was
selected as the only National Guard unit to support and
manage one of the IROCs. These successes continue
to bring credit to Utah and the 300th in addition to
great training opportunities and operational support
to the war fight.
The 204th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade
(MEB) activities for the next few months include
the 204th Headquarters and 489th Brigade
Support Battalion (BSB) participating in phase
II, the “Walk” phase of its Command Post and
Staff Integration Training in November. The
photo below was its completion of Phase I, the
“Crawl” phase. The 489th BSB will set up in
Dugway and communicate back to the 204th
Command Post, located at Camp Williams. All
units in the 204th MEB will conduct family
support activities, uniform inventories and
inspections. The 118th Sapper Company has
returned from deployment and will really enjoy
being home for the holidays.
204th MEB Command Post and Staff Integration Training
118th Sappers Company Soldiers are
awarded 25 Purple Hearts to 18 Soldiers.
Outside the 204th Command Post, Camp Williams.
Inside the 204th Command Post tent.
Miscellaneous
Major General Tarbet will be traveling to National
Harbor, Md. in November to attend the National
Guard Bureau Senior Leadership Conference with
his key staff members. He plans to celebrate the
375th Anniversary of the founding of
the National Guard at several armories
throughout the state on December 13th.
We
processed 176 community
support requests during Aug, Sept, Oct.
Air
Utah Air Guard Supports
Exercise Double Whammy
More than 160 Airmen and 100 short tons of cargo are positioned on
the Utah Air National Guard Base flightline August 7 as part of Exercise
Double Whammy. The exercise tested the Wing’s ability to process and
deploy personnel and cargo in the event of an attack on the homeland.
The 101st Information Operations Flight
(IOF) is fully engaged in all aspects of
information operations planning for NORAD/
U.S. Northern Command (N/NC) air
component, First Air Force. The N/NC is the
Department of Defense’s (DoD) Homeland
Defense combatant command. The 101st will
play a key role for the air component in the
upcoming National Level Exercise Vigilant
Shield 2012, which employs air, land and
sea assets to defend against conventional and
asymmetric attacks against America. It will
also include defense support to civil authority
missions when DoD is asked to support a lead
agent for response and recovery operations
during natural or man-made disasters. The
exercise kicks off on Nov. 1, 2011. It will
include operations that counter Russian
Long-Range Aviation activity in and around
the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone
and network defense activities to support the
Continental U.S. NORAD Region (CONR)
air defense network. A team of 101st IOF
experts recently trained CONR personnel on
information operations capabilities at Tyndall
Air Force Base. This was part of the CONR’s
continuing, weapons and tactics training
program.
The 151st Operations Group will be busy
Cargo is moved through the Cargo Deployment Function during the night
shift August 5, 2011. As part of Exercise Double Whammy, operations ran
through the night to simulate a real-world deployment situation.
flying the Utah ANG Tail Flash worldwide
from November through January 2012. The
151st Air Refueling Wing (ARW) is currently
operating in the CENTCOM Theater of
Operations supporting Operation New Dawn
and Operation Enduring Freedom. They
have missions in and out of the SOUTHCOM
Theater moving 151st ARW members to and
from duties supporting counterdrug activities.
In addition to deployments, the KC-135s are
flying a full-training schedule refueling heavy
and fighter receivers over the skies of Utah,
Arizona, Idaho, and New Mexico.
Due to our strategic geographical location,
the 191st Air Refueling Squadron is
performing special missions for Air Mobility
Command. They will be doing Fighter Drags,
Aero Medical Evacuations, and frequent
refueling of the USAF Thunderbirds on these
missions.