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Oregon Guard Unit Joins Inshore Boat Unit in Kuwait

Navy Newsstand

Story Number: NNS030512-12

Release Date: 5/12/2003 10:26:00 AM

By Lt. John Garofolo, Naval Coastal Warfare Group 1 Public Affairs

KUWAIT (NNS) -- Soldiers from the Oregon National Guard joined U.S. Navy and Coast Guard forces in Kuwait recently.

The Portland-based 1st Battalion, 162nd Infantry will provide landward security at several vital ports in Kuwait.

The Navy commodore in charge of port security and harbor defense forces in Kuwait and Iraq, Capt. Allen Painter, welcomed the arrival of the Army unit from his home state. "It's great to see more Oregonians out here," said the Portland, Ore., native. "We'll have a lot in common to talk about."

The 162nd's troops ashore will complement the Navy and Coast Guard Sailors on the water, and provide a rapid reaction force for the Naval Coastal Warfare Force security officer responsible for anti-terrorism and force protection at each port.

NCW forces have been deployed in various Middle Eastern ports since USS Cole (DDG 67) was attacked in Aden, Yemen, nearly three years ago.

Prior to the arrival of the 162nd Infantry, Inshore Boat Unit (IBU) 13 from Portland was the major Oregon participant in Commodore Painter's 1,000-person force. IBU-13 deployed to the Arabian Gulf in February.

Naval Coastal Warfare Group 1 is largely comprised of Naval and Coast Guard Reservists who operate patrol boats providing seaward security, as well as utilize sensor platforms that provide the technical picture of the ports and harbors in which they operate.

The 162nd Infantry's most recent combat deployment since World War II was in 1999, when 136 members of Charlie Company deployed to Saudi Arabia to provide security for Patriot Missile batteries. That call-up marked the first combat activation of an Oregon unit since 1941.

Naval Coastal Warfare Group 1 is based in San Diego. Units currently deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom are operating under the direction of Commander, Task Force 51.