Task Force Mustang
Encyclopedia
Task Force Mustang is the deployment unit name for the Combat Aviation Brigade
, 36th Infantry Division
, Texas Army National Guard
. The 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.
and Rita
.
Army soldiers from 36 different states.
The CAB, 36th Infantry Division is the first National Guard Combat Air Brigade under the Army's reformatting plan.
, 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, the CAB's 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.
All troop strength numbers are approximate
, 80 UH-60 Black Hawk, 12 CH-47 Chinook
helicopter
s.
Combat Aviation Brigade
A Combat Aviation Brigade is a multi-functional brigade-sized unit in the United States Army that fields military helicopters, offering a combination of attack helicopters , reconnaissance helicopters , medium-lift helicopters , heavy-lift helicopters , and MEDEVAC capability.- History :Combat...
, 36th Infantry Division
U.S. 36th Infantry Division
-Pre 2 October 1941 Square Organization:*HHC, 36th Infantry Division, TXARNG**36th Military Police Platoon**36th Signal Company**111th Ordnance Company**111th Engineer Regiment , TXARNG**111th Medical Regiment**111th Quartermaster Regiment...
, Texas Army National Guard
Texas Army National Guard
The Texas Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army, the United States National Guard and the Texas Military Forces . Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support...
. The 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
12th Combat Aviation Brigade (United States)
The 12th Combat Aviation Brigade is a Combat Aviation Brigade of the United States Army. It was first organized as the 12th Aviation Group at Fort Benning, Georgia, on 18 June 1965.-Vietnam:...
, 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 KatrinaHurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
and Rita
Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...
.
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 ReserveIndividual Ready Reserve
The Individual Ready Reserve is a category of the Ready Reserve of the Reserve Component of the Armed Forces of the United States composed of former active duty or reserve military personnel, and is authorized under...
Army soldiers from 36 different states.
The CAB, 36th Infantry Division 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 BuehringCamp Buehring
Camp Buehring is a staging post for US troops in the northwestern region of Kuwait. The base is used for military troops heading north into Iraq as well as the primary location for the Middle Eastern Theater Reserve...
, Kuwait in August. They completed five months of flight and Theatre Immersion training at Fort Hood, Texas and Fort Sill
Fort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
and were certified "Fit to Fight" by Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré
Russel L. Honoré
Russel L. Honoré is a retired Lieutenant General who served as the 33rd commanding general of the U.S. First Army at Fort Gillem, Georgia. He is best known for serving as commander of Joint Task Force Katrina responsible for coordinating military relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina-affected areas...
, commanding general, First U.S. Army, on 30 July 2006.
In the first eight months in Iraq, the CAB's 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.
Elements Which Deployed to Iraq
- 1st Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment (Attack/Reconnaissance)
- homebase: Ellington FieldEllington FieldEllington International Airport is a joint civil-military airport located in the U.S. state of Texas within the city of Houston— southeast of Downtown. Established by the Army Air Service on 21 May 1917, Ellington Field was one of the initial World War I Army Air Service installations when...
, Houston, Texas- HHC Combat Aviation BrigadeCombat Aviation BrigadeA Combat Aviation Brigade is a multi-functional brigade-sized unit in the United States Army that fields military helicopters, offering a combination of attack helicopters , reconnaissance helicopters , medium-lift helicopters , heavy-lift helicopters , and MEDEVAC capability.- History :Combat...
, 36th Infantry Division – Headquarters and Headquarters Company
- HHC Combat Aviation Brigade
- homebase: Austin-Bergstrom International AirportAustin-Bergstrom International AirportAustin-Bergstrom International Airport is a mixed-use commercial airport located southeast of the central business district of Austin, Texas, United States. It covers and has two runways and three helipads.The airport began passenger service on May 23, 1999...
, Austin, TexasAustin, TexasAustin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.- 2d Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment2d Battalion, 135th Aviation RegimentThe 2nd Battalion 135th Aviation Regiment is an Army helicopter battalion which deployed to Iraq in September 2006 through August 2007 as part of Task Force Mustang, Operation Iraqi Freedom. The battalion flies the UH-60 Black Hawk, CH-47 Chinook and the OH-58 Kiowa...
– (Commander, LTC Christopher Petty, Command Sergeant Major, CSM Douglas Imfeld)
- 2d Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment
- homebase: Buckley Air Force BaseBuckley Air Force BaseBuckley Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Aurora, Colorado, that was established by the U.S. Army in 1943. The base was named in honor of the World War I Army pilot 1LT John Harold Buckley.-Overview:...
, Aurora, ColoradoAurora, ColoradoCity of Aurora is a Home Rule Municipality spanning Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties in Colorado. Aurora is an eastern suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area . The city is the third most populous city in the Colorado and the 56th most populous city in the...
- 1st Battalion, 131st Aviation Regiment
- homebase: MontgomeryMontgomery-In France:* Sainte-Foy-de-Montgommery, a commune in département Calvados, Normandy* Saint-Germain-de-Montgommery, idem* Colleville-Montgomery, idem-In Pakistan:...
, Alabama Army National GuardAlabama Army National GuardThe Alabama Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
- 1st Battalion, 108th Aviation Regiment
- homebase: Topeka, KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
- Unit became operational in Iraq on 1 November 2006 and was the last CAB unit to do so for the current Iraq deployment.
- 449th Support Battalion (Aviation) {Commander, LTC Travis (The Banker) Richards, Command Sergeant Major, CSM Monroe (John Wayne) Kelinske,HSC 449th ASB Commander, 1LT Michael McDonald, and 1SG Karl Thomas}, XO, MAJ Dave Cooper, S1, CPT Carry (Barbie Doll) Allen, S6, CPT Raymond (The Man) Simms, CSSAMO, MAJ Terry Biddle
- homebase: San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio, TexasSan Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
- OSACOM Battalion (Operational Support Airlift Command) – a mix of units that came together in October 2006 and will wear the 36th Inf Div patch while serving in Iraq over the next year. OSACOM flies the C-23 SherpaC-23 Sherpa|-C-23B/C:-See also:-External links:*****...
. - C Co (Air Ambulance), 1st Battalion, 111th Aviation Regiment – Home stations are in Arkansas and Florida, unit attached to 2nd Battalion (General Support), 135th Aviation Regiment in 2006 as an additional MEDEVAC Company in support of OIF.
- OSACOM Battalion (Operational Support Airlift Command) – a mix of units that came together in October 2006 and will wear the 36th Inf Div patch while serving in Iraq over the next year. OSACOM flies the C-23 Sherpa
Army Guard Unit personnel contributions
- TexasTexas Army National GuardThe Texas Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army, the United States National Guard and the Texas Military Forces . Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support...
: 1000 - ColoradoColorado Army National GuardThe Colorado Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
: 325 - AlabamaAlabama Army National GuardThe Alabama Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
: 300 - KansasKansas Army National GuardThe Kansas Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
: 225 - ArkansasArkansas Army National GuardThe Arkansas Army National Guard is a component of the Arkansas National Guard and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
: 150 - MissouriMissouri Army National GuardThe Missouri Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
: 100 - MinnesotaMinnesota Army National GuardThe Minnesota Army National Guard, along with the Minnesota Air National Guard, is an element of the Minnesota National Guard. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. In fact, the National Guard is the only United States...
: 100 - NebraskaNebraska Army National GuardThe Nebraska Army National Guard is a group of Army National Guard units in the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Adjutant General for these units is Brigadier General Judd H. Lyons, and Assistant Adjutant General of Land Operations is Brigadier General Roma J. Amundson. The Chief of Staff is Colonel...
: 90 - IowaIowa Army National GuardThe Iowa Army National Guard is the Army component of the Iowa National Guard, a military reserve force with dual federal and state missions. It is empowered to function in a state status if needed to carry out limited actions during non-emergency situations all the way to full scale law...
: 50 - OhioOhio Army National GuardThe Ohio Army National Guard is a part of the United States National Guard and a reserve component of the United States Army. It is also a component of the organized militia of the state of Ohio, which also includes the Ohio Naval Militia, the Ohio Military Reserve and the Ohio Air National Guard...
: 50 - UtahUtah Army National GuardThe Utah National Guard comprises both Army and Air National Guard components. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions...
: 40 - MississippiMississippi Army National GuardThe Mississippi Army National Guard is the Army National Guard component of the Mississippi National Guard. It was originally formed in 1798. It is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard...
: 40 - CaliforniaCalifornia Army National GuardThe California Army National Guard is the land force component of the California National Guard, one of the reserve component United States Army and is part of the United States National Guard. The California Army National Guard is composed of about 20,000 soldiers...
: 30 - GeorgiaGeorgia Army National GuardThe Georgia Army National Guard is the Army National Guard component of the Georgia National Guard, administratively part of the Georgia Department of Defense. It consists of more than 11,100 Citizen-Soldiers training in more than 79 hometown armories and regional facilities across the state...
: 25 - New YorkNew York Army National GuardThe New York Army National Guard is a component of the New York National Guard and the Army National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
: 25 - South CarolinaSouth Carolina Army National GuardThe South Carolina Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
: 15 - PennsylvaniaPennsylvania Army National GuardThe Pennsylvania Army National Guard, abbreviated PAARNG, is part of the United States Army National Guard and is based in the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania...
: 15 - Puerto RicoPuerto Rico National GuardThe Puerto Rico National Guard is the component of the United States National Guard in the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico. It comprises both Army and Air National Guard components with a total authorized strength of 10,000 soldiers and airmen. The Constitution of the United States specifically...
: 1 - FloridaFlorida Army National GuardThe Florida Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
70 - IllinoisIllinois Army National GuardThe Illinois Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
1
All troop strength numbers are approximate
Aircraft
The unit flew approximately 24 AH-64 ApacheAH-64 Apache
The Boeing AH-64 Apache is a four-blade, twin-engine attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement, and a tandem cockpit for a two-man crew. The Apache was developed as Model 77 by Hughes Helicopters for the United States Army's Advanced Attack Helicopter program to replace the...
, 80 UH-60 Black Hawk, 12 CH-47 Chinook
CH-47 Chinook
The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an American twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. Its top speed of 170 knots is faster than contemporary utility and attack helicopters of the 1960s...
helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s.