New York National Guard's Rainbow Division Headquarters Begins Annual Training at Fort Drum

FORT DRUM, N.Y. (06/16/2015)(readMedia)-- Members of the New York Army National Guard's 42nd Infantry Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, based in Troy, N.Y., conduct their unit annual training on Fort Drum from June 13-27.

Members of the press are invited to cover the unit training, including an exercise that will prepare the unit to coordinate a brigade-level mission with other units. The battalion will also train on heavy weaponry, vehicles and combat skills while on Fort Drum this month for annual training.

WHO: More than 300 Citizen Soldiers of the 42nd Infantry Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, New York Army National Guard, as well as Soldiers from the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from Vermont and the 116th Infantry

Regiment from Virginia. The New York National Guard troops are based in Troy, N.Y.; Buffalo N.Y.; and Staten Island, N.Y.

WHAT: Soldiers will operate a command post that oversees the employment of multiple brigades, providing battle command, administration and logistics support to the task force. Soldiers will also conduct team training exercises such as combat first aid, Humvee training, and heavy weapons training.

WHEN: Friday, June 19, 2015 between 10 am and 2 pm. The 42nd Headquarters and Headsquarters Battalion will qualify on the M2 .50 caliber machine gun on Friday along with conducting Humvee driver training.

WHERE: Fort Drum training area, Fort Drum, N.Y. Media can linkup with Sgt. 1st Class Steven Petibone at the Fort Drum Media Operations Center, Bldg S-2509 on Route 26.

Media Opportunity:

Interviews with Soldiers preparing for the training scenario as well as coverage highlighting the operations are available.

For news media access to the Fort Drum military installation, media must contact media escort Sgt. 1st Class Steven Petibone from the 42nd Division Public Affairs Office, 518-795-0369, PRIOR TO CLOSE OF BUSINESS ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17 for linkup at the Fort Drum Media Operations Center, Bldg. S-2509, on Route 26 adjacent to the entrance to Wheeler Sack Army Airfield.

News organizations must provide a by-name roster of visiting news representatives, including full name and date of birth.

BACKGROUND

The 42nd Infantry Division is a headquarters unit whose personnel are trained to exercise mission command over three to five brigade elements of 3,000 to 5,000 Soldiers.

The 42nd Infantry Division has training oversight of the New York National Guard's 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade and the 369th Sustainment Brigade. The division also has training responsibility for National Guard brigades in New Jersey, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.

The division served as a key National Guard headquarters during the state's response to Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and Hurricane Irene in 2011.

In 2004 and 2005 the division headquarters deployed to Tikrit, Iraq where Major General Joseph Taluto was responsible for more than 20,000 U.S. Army Soldiers in four brigades in three Iraqi Provinces.

The division was first organized during World War I when National Guard units from 26 states were brought together to deploy to France as quickly as possible. Then Col. Douglas McArthur, who was the division's chief of staff and later a commander said the unit stretched across America "like a rainbow." This gave the division its nickname as the Rainbow Division.

In World War II, 42nd Infantry Division Soldiers freed inmates at the Dachau Concentration camp.