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1-4 CAV Air Troops to inactivate
following OIF II
Story by Spc. Joe Alger
1st Infantry Division Public Affairs Office
AD DULUIYAH,
Iraq -- Elements of 1st Squadron, 4th U.S. Cavalry will be
inactivating upon return from the Iraqi theater of operations to the
central region.
The Department of the Army has directed an initiative
to modularize its aviation assets. As part of this plan, Delta, Echo
and Foxtrot Troops of 1-4 Cavalry will be inactivated on June 15,
2005.
According to Maj. Michael McCurry, Deputy Squadron Commander, 1-4
Cavalry, preparations for the inactivation of the aviation elements of
1-4 Cavalry have already begun.
The Aviation Transformation plan, which was implemented
by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker, is part of an Army
campaign for transformation that outlines 15 different focus areas and
how to make them more efficient.
The focus of the aviation plan, McCurry said, is
modularity.
As a part of this Army initiative, aviation units containing OH-58D
Kiowa Warriors will be returned to CONUS to enhance aviation unit
modularization Army-wide. Modularization of aviation assets creates
units that are adapted for missions and can also reduce the number of
units needed for a particular mission.
Because of this new plan, two air cavalry troops and
one air maintenance troop will be leaving the squadron upon
redeployment.
There are three major areas that the Squadron needs to
focus on, McCurry said, in order to make a smooth transition.
The first focus area for 1-4 Cavalry is personnel
moves.
"Most of the people who will be reassigned as a result
of this new plan will PCS within 120 days of our redeployment and we
have to make sure we take care of all of them," McCurry said. "The
challenge after a yearlong deployment is to give people who are
leaving the Squadron the same support we would give any Soldier
returning from a deployment."
The next focus area is the movement of equipment. The
1-4 Cavalry Soldiers will start turning in their Kiowa Warrior
helicopters once they leave Iraq, and shortly thereafter, will start
turning in all their generic items, such as trucks and tents to units
who are short on these items.
The third focus area, according to McCurry, is to
capture the history and heritage of the unit.
"Some of these guidons have been with the Squadron since Vietnam, and
it's important to make sure the memories of all the heroes who have
served here are preserved," McCurry said.
McCurry also said it's important for people living in
Germany to understand that the inactivation of the 1-4 Cavalry
aviation elements is a part of Army-wide force development initiatives
and not related to the current DOD Global Posture Review or EUCOM
Strategic Theater Transformation.
"Some people might think that this is the beginning of that plan,"
McCurry said. "It's important for them to realize this has nothing to
do with that."
The new plan has garnered mixed reactions from the 1-4
Cavalry Soldiers.
"I've been with the unit for about a year and a half,"
said Spc. Bryan McGoon, Armament Avionics Specialist, 1-4 Cavalry,
"They're a great group of people who I've grown very close with over
the past year in Iraq, and it's kind of sad we have to split up right
when we get back to Germany , but I can handle it."
"There's great camaraderie between the air and ground
cavalry troops in this unit," McCurry said. "Anyone who's ever been
with a division cavalry unit feels like this is the end of an era. On
the other hand, everybody realizes the need to go through this change
to make the Army a more effective fighting force in the years to
come."
THIS STORY HAS ACCOMPANYING PHOTOGRAPHS. TO RECEIVE THE PHOTOS, E-MAIL
THE CPIC PRESS DESK AT CPICPRESSDESK@BAGHDADFORUM.COM. Text for
release and opsec review provided by the 1st Infantry Division Public
Affairs Office. For more information, please contact 1ID PAO at
firstid.pao@us.army.mil.
Release #A050205f |
