CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait -- Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, returned from a nine-month Kuwait deployment March 8 to their home at Fort Riley, Kansas.
The battalion deployed initially in support of U.S. Army Central's theater cooperation mission in Kuwait, while maintaining readiness to respond to contingency operations throughout the Middle East. In June 2014, shortly after arriving in Kuwait, the "Iron Rangers" battalion was called into action by the brigade and U.S. Army Central, in response to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant forces taking control of Mosul, Iraq.
The battalion was assigned to conduct split operations at Camp Beuhring, Kuwait, and in Baghdad, Iraq, where a number of their Soldiers would remain for most of their nine-month deployment.
"Almost immediately upon arriving in Kuwait, elements of the task force were alerted and deployed to Iraq to secure critical infrastructure and diplomatic sites to enable United States Government operations in Iraq," said Lt. Col. Trent Upton, battalion commander, 1st Bn., 16th Inf. Regt., 1st ABCT, 1st Inf. Div.
With their new mission, 1st Bn., 16th Inf. Regt., 1st ABCT, 1st Inf. Div., Soldiers became first U.S. Army conventional force to deploy to Iraq since Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn, which officially ended Dec. 31, 2011, and in support of what would become known as Operation Inherent Resolve.
The battalion consisted of a number of Soldiers who had never deployed prior to arriving in Kuwait and the new mission in Iraq was a different proposition for some of the first-term Soldiers.
"It was a little nerve racking at first, not knowing what I was going into, but I was willing to do my job and if I had to put my life on the line, I would do it," said Pfc. Ryan Swan, an infantryman with Company A, 1st Bn., 16th Inf. Regt., 1st ABCT, 1st Inf. Div. "I was confident in my leadership and knew I was protected by my leaders' decisions, so it wasn't too hard for me."
Ryan, a native of Long Island, New York, credited his leadership with mentally preparing the junior Soldiers in his company by frequently talking about their experiences on previous deployments and giving them timely advice.
In comparison, for the more seasoned leaders in the battalion, the deployment was no different than any of their other deployments to the Middle East.
"We had a high operational tempo the whole time," said Sgt. 1st Class Carl Long, a scout platoon sergeant with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Bn., 16th Inf. Regt., 1st ABCT, 1st Inf. Div. "We were constantly moving and training, but it was not that great of a change compared to the rest of my previous four deployments."
Long, a Shannon, Mississippi native, said he found, through proper training, the lack of experience by junior Soldiers could be mitigated.
"Between the training we conducted at Fort Riley prior to the deployment and the individual training we conducted here in Kuwait is what really made the difference," Long said.
In addition to making history as the first conventional force to deploy to Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the Iron Rangers also had the distinction of having only the second female in the U.S. Army to qualify as a loader on an M1A2 Abrams tank crew Dec. 10, 2014.
Cpl. Brittany Robbins, a human resources specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Bn., 16th Inf. Regt., 1st ABCT, 1st Inf. Div., performed the task during Table VI tank gunnery with her crew receiving the "Distinguished Tank Crew" honor.
"The thing I enjoyed most about this experience was the hard work and camaraderie we shared as a team," Robbins said. "It took everyone in the tank working together to achieve success."
Throughout the nine-month deployment, the battalion hosted several senior military and civilian leaders while performing their mission in Iraq.
Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts; then-Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey; Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno, and then-Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond Chandler, to name a few.
"We have earned a reputation for teamwork and mission accomplishment under the toughest conditions, which will serve us well in our future endeavors," Upton said. "Our operations in support of Operation Inherent Resolve were of historical significance and are a source of unit pride."
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