Col. Mark McKearn, left, 12th Aviation Brigade commander, and newly-installed Command Sgt. Maj. Hector Marin furl the unit’s flag Thursday at a ceremony in Giebelstadt, Germany. (Steve Liewer / S&S)
Col. Mark McKearn, left, 12th Aviation Brigade commander, and newly-installed Command Sgt. Maj. Hector Marin furl the unit’s flag Thursday at a ceremony in Giebelstadt, Germany. (Steve Liewer / S&S)
Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, V Corps commander, makes a farewell speech to soldiers and families from Task Force Griffin at a casing-of-the-colors ceremony. (Steve Liewer / S&S)
The color guard dips the battle flag of the 12th Aviation Brigade during a casing-of-the-colors ceremony Thursday at the unit's headquarters in Giebelstadt, Germany. (Steve Liewer / S&S)
GIEBELSTADT, Germany — After a too-short year at home in Germany, V Corps’ aviation warriors are headed back to combat.
The units that will make up Task Force Griffin cased their colors in front of more than 200 spectators Thursday at Giebelstadt, wrapping up a year of unwinding from one war and preparing for the next.
Over the next few weeks, they will deploy to Afghanistan to lend air support to the Vicenza, Italy-based Southern European Task Force, which will lead the security mission there for the next year.
“We’re returning to the fight. We’re deploying to ensure the people of Afghanistan their peace and security,” said Col. Mark McKearn, commander of the Giebelstadt-based 12th Aviation Brigade. “You are a battle-tested force, with the memories of Iraq fresh in your minds.”
McKearn will lead an aviation task force that includes the:
12th Brigade headquarters staff.3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, a 12th Brigade UH-60 Black Hawk unit based in Giebelstadt.Company F of the 159th Aviation Regiment, better known as “Big Windy,” a CH-1 Chinook unit also from Giebelstadt.2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, an AH-64D Apache Longbow unit from Illesheim, Germany.Companies A and B from the 7th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, a 3rd Corps Support Command maintenance unit from both Giebelstadt and Illesheim.All of the units, and many of the soldiers in them, served in Iraq from early 2003 to early 2004 under Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the V Corps commander, who attended Thursday’s farewell.
“For most of you, this is not the first time you’ve answered the call to arms,” Sanchez said. “I also see new faces, eager to prove their skills as warriors.”
Veterans of the previous Iraq tour say it’s tough thinking about another yearlong separation from family.
“It’s really hard. The current pace of deployment — it’s too much,” said Staff Sgt. Tim Holgado, 32, of the 7-159 Aviation. But, he added, “We’re better equipped now than before. The families are more involved now. They know what’s going on.”
This time, the unit had almost eight months to prepare for a deployment to an established theater with a clearly defined mission and a set end date. That’s quite different from last time, when the units deployed to makeshift bases for an indefinite period they knew might include a hot war against a dangerous, unpredictable enemy.
“Last time, I was a new private. I was scared as hell, because the Saddam regime was still in power,” said Spc. John Ritcher, 29, of the 3-158 Aviation. “I went straight out of [advanced individual training] into war.”
“We know an awful lot more this time about how to get ready,” said Capt. Lou Karnes, 30, commander of the 12th Brigade’s headquarters company. “I can help my soldiers better, because I’ve been there before.”
