Capital Region Army Guard Soldiers Depart for Kuwait Deployment Training

Media Advisory

LATHAM, N.Y. (10/03/2013)(readMedia)-- Eighty New York Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade will leave the Million Air facility at Albany International Airport Friday morning en route to Fort Hood, Texas to train prior to deploying to Kuwait later this fall.

These Soldiers are among 350 New York Army National Guard members assigned to the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade and the 642nd Aviation Support Battalion who are leaving for Fort Hood on Friday. Soldiers are also flying out of MacArthur Airport on Long Island and the Greater Rochester International Airport.

Members of the press will be able to obtain video and still imagery of the Soldiers boarding the aircraft prior to leaving.

WHO: Ninety Soldiers assigned to the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade which is headquartered in Latham.

WHAT: The Soldiers will board a Southwest Airlines chartered aircraft from their buses as they prepare to depart for Fort Hood. The Soldiers will train at Fort Hood for 30 to 45 days before deploying to Kuwait.

WHEN: Media interested in covering this event should plan on being in place no later than 10:15 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 4, 2012. The Aircraft is due to take off no later than 11 a.m. The unit expects to board the plane between 10:15 and 10:30 a.m.

WHERE: Million Air, 16 Jetway Drive, Albany NY

BACKGROUND

The 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade, a component of the Troy-based 42nd Infantry Division, provides command and control for Army Aviation units. The brigade is responsible for elements in 11 states.

Components of the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade in New York include the 3rd Battalion 142nd Assault Helicopter Battalion, based in Ronkonkoma and Latham, and the 642nd Aviation Support Battalion with elements in Ronkonkoma, Rochester, Dunkirk and Olean.

The Brigade will deploy to Kuwait to provide aviation support for U.S. military forces deployed in that country. Also deploying from New York are Company A, 3rd Battalion 142nd Aviation (Assault Helicopter Battalion) based at Albany International Airport in Latham and the 642nd Aviation Support Battalion.

The Soldiers and helicopters assigned from the 3rd Battalion 142nd Aviation deployed from Latham to Fort Hood on Sept. 25.

The 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade will also take command of 400 Soldiers of the Army's 4th Battalion 227th Aviation Regiment, an Attack Reconnaissance Battalion based at Fort Hood which flies the AH-64 D Apache "Longbow" attack helicopter. The brigade will also be assigned the 400 troops of the 3rd Battalion 238th General Support Aviation Battalion which is a Michigan National Guard aviation unit with some elements from the Delaware National Guard.

A General Support Aviation Battalion includes UH-60 helicopters configured as Air Ambulances for medical evacuation, UH-60 used in the command and control role to move key personnel around the country, and CH-47 heavy lift helicopters which can move up to 30 troops and large amounts of cargo.

The 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade traces its history back to the formation of an aviation detachment of small L-19 "Bird Dog" planes organized in 1947 to provide artillery fire direction support and command liaison support for the 42nd Infantry Division.

In 2004/2005 the brigade mobilized with the 42nd Infantry Division and deployed to Tikrit, Iraq where it conducted combat missions in four Iraqi provinces with units from the Active Army, the California Army National Guard and the Army Reserve.

The brigade is based at the New York State Armory in Latham and since returning from Iraq has coordinated aviation efforts in support of emergency responses to Mohawk and Hudson River flooding and Tropical Storms Irene and Lee in 2011 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012.