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Task Force Dragon passes torch to Task Force Tigershark

October 17, 2013
By Capt. Pete Smedberg

NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan -- The 1st Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment, Task Force Dragon, attached to 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, marked the end of their nine-month deployment Oct. 11 with a transfer of authority ceremony at Forward Operating Base Fenty, Afghanistan.

During the ceremony, 1st Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment, Task Force Tigershark leaders assumed responsibility for all aviation operations in Afghanistan's N2KL region, which encompasses Nangarhar, Nuristan, Konar and Laghman provinces.

TF Tigershark and its commander, Lt. Col. Chad Ward, are no strangers to Afghanistan. The unit recently moved their task force headquarters from Forward Operating Base Salerno to Forward Operating Base Fenty, in support of 10th Mountain Division's 2nd and 4th Brigade Combat Teams, as well as the 101st Airborne Division, while providing continuous aviation support to Regional Command-East.

Lt. Col. Glen Heape, TF Dragon commander, thanked his Soldiers for their hard work and dedication during what is being described as 'the most critical fighting season in the history of the United States' involvement in Afghanistan.'

'Task Force Dragon (Soldiers) served honorably on behalf of their nation and enhanced the sacred trust that exists between Army aviation and the units we support,' said Col. David Francis, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade commander. 'Task Force Dragon provided discriminately lethal fires, time-on-target air assaults and tactical overmatch that can't be replicated by any other force or capability on the battlefield.'

TF Dragon also took a moment to recognize the sacrifices made by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Matthew Ruffner and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jarett Yoder, two AH-64 Apache helicopter pilots from the Pennsylvania National Guard who were killed in a helicopter crash April 9 in Nangarhar Province, while serving under TF Dragon.

Task Force Tigershark's relocation

The unit's relocation to FOB Fenty was a massive undertaking that took place while Soldiers continuously provided rotary wing air support to commanders on the ground from multiple brigade combat teams, according to Maj. Jonathan Easley, TF Tigershark executive officer.

'Unlike a normal relief in place where the incoming unit is going from a cold start, already having six months of experience in country has helped the task force hit the ground running,' Easley said. 'Morale has remained high as we have transitioned to (Jalalabad Airfield). The reception from TF Dragon has been phenomenal, and the Tigershark troopers have been able to get after the mission at hand in the N2KL region with renewed vigor.'

With any large scale relocation effort, maintaining property accountability can be a daunting task.

Easley credited 1st Lt. Andrew Lang and Sgt. 1st Class Tanya Green-Johnson from the unit's logistics section, and company supply representatives, for their attention to detail and ensuring a smooth transition.

During the transition from Salerno to Fenty, TF Tigershark's Forward Support Company conducted the retrograde of two well-established forward arming and refueling points while planning the establishment of a third FARP to be staffed by members of 2nd Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment, TF Knighthawk.

In addition, the task force's communications section provided outstanding support during the move, Easley added.

'Much like oxygen, nobody really worries about communications until they don't have it,' he said. 'Our S-6 section has made it a certainty that there are always redundant communications available.'

Much like the FSC's effort to close and relocate FARPs, their communications section supported the teardown of communications systems at closing bases, while facilitating the rebuild of systems in their new area of operations.

Easley described the relocation and rebuild of Tigershark's robust communications systems as a 'Herculean task' made possible by the can-do attitude and personal involvement down to the individual Soldier level.

The support provided by numerous agencies and adjacent task forces during Tigershark's move to FOB Fenty, as well as the superb effort by Tigershark Soldiers, have set the conditions for success during the final months of the 10th CAB's deployment to Afghanistan.