New York National Guard Soldiers depart Fort Hood for Kuwait over Columbus Day weekend

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Soldiers of the 369th Sustainment Brigade during a visit from Brig. Gen. Michael Swezey, commander of the 52rd Troop Command

FORT HOOD, TEXAS (10/10/2016)(readMedia)-- Two hundred and fifty Soldiers of the New York Army National Guard's 369th Sustainment Brigade departed Fort Hood for Kuwait over the Columbus Day weekend.

The Soldiers had been training at Fort Hood since the beginning of September in preparation for their deployment to Kuwait.

The Soldiers of the 369th are trained to oversee the operations of logistics and transportation units to provide support for American and allied troops.

In Kuwait the unit will provide logistics support to American forces in the region.

The 369th Sustainment Brigade is headquartered at the historic 5th Avenue Armory in Harlem, New York City, but is currently operating out of Camp Smith while the armory is being renovated.

The 369th was originally organized as the 15th New York Infantry in 1916 in Harlem and was an African-American unit in the segregated Army of the time. The unit became famous as the "Harlem Hell Fighters" during World War I.

When the United States entered World War I in 1917, the unit was federalized and renamed the 369th Infantry.

The Soldiers served in combat under French command and earned a regimental Croix de Guerre and many individual awards for heroism while serving under fire for 191 days in 1918. They were reportedly dubbed the Hell Fighters by their German opponents.

Sgt. Henry Johnson, of Albany, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his World War I heroism while serving in the 369th

The unit has deployed troops to Mali and Cameroon in support of the United States Africa Command in training exercises with African militaries. Soldiers of the 369th also played a key role in providing logistics support during the New York National Guard's response to Super Storm Sandy in 2012.