WEST JORDAN — About 45 soldiers from the Utah Army National Guard's 2-285th Aviation Battalion left the state Monday bound for a 12-month deployment in Iraq.
Pilots and crews of the 2-285th left from the Utah Guard's Army Aviation Support Facility in West Jordan in their assigned UH-60 helicopters. They are headed first to Fort Sill, Okla., where they will receive several weeks of training for their assigned mission to transport personnel, equipment and supplies in the U.S. Central Command area of operations.
The battalion is made up of between 500 and 700 soldiers from Utah, Arizona, Oklahoma and North Dakota
In addition to ferrying supplies and personnel, the battalion is trained in air assaults in which soldiers rappel to the ground from their Black Hawk helicopters to get as close as possible to the front lines.
Lt. Col. Hank McIntire said while most deployments involve Afghanistan, Iraq remains an active combat zone that still requires U.S. resources. "It's still very dangerous. It's just not getting as much press as Afghanistan. People are still in harm's way."
The deployment of the 2-285th brings to approximately 100 the overall number of deployed soldiers and airmen from the Utah National Guard, an unusually small number, McIntire said.
"Having so few deployed is different for us," he said. "It is not a rest for us by any means, because you have to get ready for the next round."
The soldiers in the aviation battalion are a mixture of experienced, "very seasoned" Guard members and those who are fresh out of training, McIntire said.
Since 9/11, the Utah National Guard has had between 7,000 and 8,000 troops deployed.
— Amy Joi O'Donoghue