FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Nov. 8, 2012) -- In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the federal government called upon 10th Combat Aviation Brigade personnel and assets to assist in the recovery of affected areas.
About 100 aviators and support personnel of Task Force Phoenix departed Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield, Oct. 31, for Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., with four HH-60M medevac helicopters and four UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. Two CH-47F Chinook helicopters transported personnel and maintenance and communication equipment.
"We are the face of the Army and the 10th Mountain Division," said Lt. Col. Anthony A. Meador, commander of 3-10 General Support Aviation Battalion, Task Force Phoenix, 10th CAB. "We are going to show that the Army can and will respond."
The task force recently returned from four weeks of training at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif., and had to repack their bags for the current mission.
"Undoubtedly, we have been training hard, and the effects of continuous operations have taxed our Soldiers and their families," said Command Sgt. Maj. Peter J. Garretson III, senior enlisted adviser of TF Phoenix. "However, we are Soldiers and are honored to have been called upon to support our fellow Americans in a time of dire need. We are committed, unwavering, and will not fail."
Two UH-60 Black Hawks were called upon Nov. 1, to transport Federal Emergency Management Agency Region II representatives along the coastline of Massachusetts and Rhode Island to conduct a damage assessment from the air.
Task Force Phoenix was directed to move its operations to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Nov. 3, to support recovery efforts in the New Jersey and New York City areas.
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Army.mil: U.S. Army Humanitarian Relief - Hurricanes
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