FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- Soldiers activated Company B, 101st Aviation Regiment, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), in a ceremony here April 15, 2015.
The ceremony was held to commemorate the beginning of the company, also known as the Archangels, which will conduct unmanned aerial system missions for the division.
For the Soldiers, starting a unit from nothing is a big deal.
"I am very humbled by the opportunity," said Capt. Merritt Thomas, the company commander. "I'm humbled by being able to take a command in such a great division. We're talking about over a hundred [Soldiers] building a unit from the ground up." They did everything from signing for a new hangar from the Army Corps of Engineers to acquiring all the unmanned-aerial systems equipment.
Nothing in the Army is ever easy. Building a unit up from nothing is a big task that has a lot of moving pieces. What may be important today may not be at the top of the list tomorrow.
"I've never started a unit from the ground up before," said 1st Sgt. Sean A. Bolin, the top enlisted Soldier of Co. B. "It's been interesting. Getting your priorities taken care of is a big thing. One week it might be manning, the next equipment and the next it might change again. You're put in a position of greater responsibility because the Army believes you can handle it. It's not easy."
The unit may be new, but one thing remains the same across the Army: Soldiers. As the unit comes together, seasoned and new Soldiers alike respond to their tasks and build a stronger team.
"So far the Soldiers have been great," said Bolin. "We're getting a lot of seasoned maintainers and ground crews. The operators are straight from the school house; they have a fresh mindset."
As the company comes together and sets about its daily business, the future is within sight. Starting an unmanned-aerial-system company at the 101st Airborne Div. is a big deal. The Soldiers sense that the next rendezvous with destiny will be theirs.
"It's really amazing to be part of standing up a brand new unit at the 101st Airborne Division," said Pfc. Stephanie Rettig, a UAS operator. "I'm really excited to be here. I feel like this is something really big that I'm able to start something for my country and the Army."
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