Combat Aviation Brigade, 36th Infantry Division (United States)

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 36th Combat Aviation Brigade


caption= 36th Combat Aviation Brigade insignia
dates=
country= United States
allegiance=
branch= Army National Guard
type= Aviation Brigade
role=
size= 2,700 soldiers
command_structure= 4th Infantry Division
U.S. Army III Corps
U.S. First Army
current_commander= Colonel Vernon A. Sevier Jr.
garrison= Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Texas and LSA Anaconda, Iraq
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=
notable_commanders=
anniversaries=

Task Force Mustang is the deployment unit name for the 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, 36th Infantry Division, Texas Army National Guard. The 36th CAB completed a tour of duty in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the fall of 2007 when it was relieved by the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, a similarly comprised regular army unit.

History

Task Force Mustang has previously deployed to Bosnia and Kosovo, and to the United States Gulf Coast in support of disaster operations following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Brigade Formation

During the brigade's deployment to Iraq it composed of over 2700 soldiers from 44 states. Approximately 2500 were from 16 state Army Guard units. The brigade was augmented by over 200 Individual Ready Reserve Army soldiers from 36 different states.The 36th CAB is the first National Guard Combat Air Brigade under the Army's reformatting plan.

Global War on Terror

Task Force Mustang shipped to Iraq in September 2006 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, following a few weeks of Boots on the ground training at Camp Buehring, Kuwait in August. They completed five months of flight and Theatre Immersion training at Fort Hood, Texas and Fort Sill, Oklahoma and were certified "Fit to Fight" by Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré, commanding general, First U.S. Army, on 30 July 2006.

In the first eight months in Iraq, 36th CAB units flew 51,000 combat flight hours while executing almost 7,300 combat missions. 36 CAB has hauled more than 230,000 passengers, moved more than 15 million pounds of cargo, conducted almost 60 large combat air assaults, provided outstanding Medevac support to save many Soldiers' lives, and supported ground troops with AH-64 Apaches every day. [cite news
last = Picard
first = Stephan J.
coauthors =
title = The Mustang Leader
publisher = US Army
volume=1
issue=9
date = 2007-04-30
url = …
accessdate = 2007-05-06 ]

Elements Which Deployed to Iraq

* HHC 36th CAB - Headquarters and Headquarters Company:homebase: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Austin, Texas.
* 2-135 th GSAB - Aviation Battalion (Commander, LTC Christopher Petty, Command Sergeant Major, CSM Douglas Imfeld):homebase: Buckley Air Force Base, Aurora, Colorado
* 1-131 st Aviation Assault Battalion:homebase: Fort Rucker, Alabama
* 1-108 th Aviation Regiment:homebase: Topeka, Kansas:Unit became operational in Iraq on 1 November 2006 and was the last 36 CAB unit to do so for the current Iraq deployment.
* 1-149 th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion:homebase: Ellington Field, Houston, Texas
* 449 th Aviation Support Battalion {Commander, LTC Travis Richards, Command Sergeant Major, CSM Monroe Kelinske, Gunner, SPC Peter Taylor }:homebase: San Antonio, Texas
* OSACOM Battalion (Operational Support Airlift Command) — a mix of units that came together in October 2006 and will wear the 36th CAB patch while serving in Iraq over the next year. OSACOM flies the C-23 Sherpa.

* C Co. 1-111th AVN Air Ambulance (MEDEVAC)-Home stations are in Arkansas and Florida, unit attached to 2-135th GSAB in 2006 as an additional MEDEVAC Company in support of OIF.

Army Guard Unit personnel contributions

* Texas: 1000
* Colorado: 325
* Alabama: 300
* Kansas: 225
* Arkansas: 150
* Missouri: 100
* Minnesota: 100
* Nebraska: 90
* Iowa: 50
* Ohio: 50
* Utah: 40
* Mississippi: 40
* California: 30
* Georgia: 25
* New York: 25
* South Carolina: 15
* Pennsylvania: 15
* Florida 70

All troop strength numbers are approximate

Aircraft

The unit flew approximately 24 Apache Attack, 80 UH-60 Black Hawk, 12 CH-47 Chinook helicopters.

References and External links

* [http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/aug2006/a080406dg1.html News article] 4 August 2006.
* [http://www.first.army.mil/pao/2006_Articles/073006_NatlGuardAviationBrigade.htm US First Army website] , 30 July 2006.
* [http://insidedenver.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4877387,00.html Rocky Mountain News] , July 28 2006.
* [http://www.first.army.mil/pao/2006_Articles/062806_36thCABDeployment.htm US First Army press release] , 28 June 2006
* [http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/06/28guard.html Austin American-Statesman] , June 28 2006.
* [http://www.mysanantonio.com/specials/battlefield/stories/MYSA040806.05B.TxGuardCopters.131c89d0.html San Antonio Express News article] , April 8 2006.
* [http://www.agd.state.tx.us/pao/archives/2006/Cobat%20aviation%20deploy.htm Texas Guard publication] , 5 April 2006.
* [http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/2931/units.html Summary of Army National Guard Aviation units] , last date updated unknown.