FORT SILL, Okla. (Oct. 19, 2017) -- Lt. Col. Troy Bucher and Command Sgt. Maj. Steve Hall Sr., 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery battalion commander and CSM, respectively, uncased their unit's colors during a ceremony Oct. 17, at Polo Field here.
The unit, which is under the 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade, had been assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., the past 12 years. The "Dragon Slayers" execute the Counter - Rocket, Artillery and Mortar (C-RAM); and Avenger missile system missions.
In her speech, Col. Janice Chen, 31st ADA Brigade commander, said units in the Army never keep the same name, same equipment, same location or same mission for very long.
"Great units are great wherever they are," she said. "What makes a unit great is the people at every rank doing what Soldiers do best -- that is adapt, overcome, get over ourselves to get ourselves over and to execute the mission to the highest standards."
Most recently 5-5th ADA had been deployed as part of Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Freedom Sentinel in Iraq and Afghanistan, from October 2016 through July 2017, said Bucher, who took command of the battalion June 1, at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq.
Bucher said it was great for him to get down range and take command in the Central Command's area of responsibility because he saw every facet of his unit's mission.
"It gave me some vision for where we'll be when we redeploy," he said. The unit will begin a mission rehearsal exercise (MRE) here in the fall in preparation for that deployment.
The MRE will replicate the conditions the 5-5th ADA will face while deployed, he said. "We'll make sure all our crews are certified on the weapons systems, and ready to conduct the mission."
He said the Avenger battery will not deploy, but would perform training rotations at Fort Bliss, Texas, and at Fort Irwin, Calif., to support maneuver forces with short-range air defense.
The 5-5th ADA has five batteries and is authorized 466 Soldiers, Bucher said.
This is Bucher's fourth tour at Fort Sill, having served here when he was enlisted about 20 years ago. He was also with the 30th ADA Brigade's 2nd Battalion, 6th ADA as its executive officer.
He said it feels great to be back in the area, and noted that his wife, Rachel, is from the Wichita Falls, Texas, area.
"As of today, we are officially part of the Lawton-Fort Sill community and proud to be here," he said. "The community has really overdone it -- from the chamber of commerce to the agencies on post."
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