Guard troops to deploy for Afghanistan
More than 30 Idaho National Guard members from two aviation units will be deployed in support of combat operations this spring.
According to the Guard, most of the personnel are assigned to a unit belonging to the Army National Guard’s 1st of the 168th General Support Aviation Battalion. They will deploy to participate in Operation Freedom”s Sentinel in Afghanistan.
The unit is located at Gowen Field in Boise and operates the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. The unit will provide MEDEVAC operations within Afghanistan. According to the Idaho Adjutant General’s Office, the unit will mobilize for approximately 12 months, including a training period at Fort Hood, Texas. The remaining months will be spent “in theatre” in Afghanistan.
A second, smaller unit of nearly a half-dozen personnel is operating in various areas within the Central Command Theatre.
“Our Idaho Army National Guard aviators are some of the finest pilots in the nation,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Burt, the Idaho Army National Guard’s state aviation officer. “These soldiers are well-trained, extremely focused and ready to perform the mission.”
It is the eighth time in the past decade that Idaho Army National Guard aviation units have deployed in support of overseas combat operations. The Guard Aviation Unit will deploy Thursday, April 19, at 9 a.m.
