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DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
A Company, 4 th Battalion, 3 rd Aviation Regiment
3 rd Infantry Division
APO AE 09378 |
| AFZP-VX-D-ACO |
24 February 2005 |
MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD
SUBJECT: Alpha Company Right Seat Rides and Relief in Place at Camp Taji
1. Alpha Company Spiders completed right seat rides with 2-227 th Aviation Regiment on 19 February 2005. During the integration period at Taji, Spiders assumed nightly FOB runs in AOR Baghdad and the Division Reserve Duty Mission (QRF). Pilots were re-acquainted with the Baghdad AOR, finding minor changes in flight TTPs from OIF I. During the right seat rides, the Common Missile Warning System was ordered disabled due to inadvertent flare dispensing over the city. Other events included attempted small arms fire engagements against aircraft, and mortaring of LSA Taji by the counter-insurgency.
2. Alpha Company flew one Air Assault mission with Task Force 2-7 CAV of the 1 st Cavalry Division on 16 February. The ground tactical plan included IED sweeps along MSR routes west of Taji. The Task Force discovered IEDs along MSR routes, validating the success of the Air Assault. Alpha Company also planned the Division Reserve Duty Concept, outlining the Aerial QRF procedures at LSA Taji. Alpha Company developed the TTPs for Aerial QRF within the division sector during Mission Readiness Exercise 04-10 at the Joint Readiness Training Center.
3. Alpha Company also planned and briefed a pending Air Assault into Zone 66 with Task Force 3-325 Airborne Infantry (82 nd Airborne Division). The Air Assault was planned in order to destroy counter insurgents firing rockets and mortars into Zone One, targeting the newly formed Iraqi National Assembly. Highly detailed planning included the integration of the AH-64D Longbow into the Air Assault, providing aerial route security and NAI coverage in and around objectives in Zone 66. The Air Assault was planned for 23 February, but postponed one week due to the change in convening date of the Iraqi National Assembly.
4. On a personal note; CW3 Doug Dickens received orders of promotion to CW4 effective 1 March 2005, and 1LT Damion Clavert received orders for promotion to Captain effective 1 October 2005. CW2 Greg Thomsen’s wife Clarissa gave birth to a baby girl on 15 February. SGT Aaron Downey and SPC Sheldon Hoesli conducted their first combat flights as crew chiefs. Alpha Company moved into trailers near the flight line in order to facilitate planning and maintenance. The sleep trailer plan was constrained by civilian contractors living in trailers designated for Alpha Company soldiers. Mission loads were high from the beginning and not having soldiers settled in made life fairly difficult for a while.
5. POC is the undersigned.
CARL A. PRECIADO
CPT, AV
Commanding
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DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
A Company, 4 th Battalion, 3 rd Aviation Regiment
3 rd Infantry Division
APO AE 09378 |
| AFZP-VX-D-ACO |
8 February 2005 |
MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD
SUBJECT: Alpha Company RSOI and Battle Roster for Operation Iraqi Freedom III
1. Alpha Company Spiders completed Reception, Staging, Onward movement and Integration on 8 February 2005. The company sent two soldiers on Advanced Party on 17 January 2005 (CW3 Doug Dickens and CW2 Jerry Emmons) to help receive and re-configure aircraft at Port. The company arrived in mass on 25 January 2005 at Kuwaiti International Airport, and relocated to Camp Buering at Udari. The company dawned the re-designed Spider Flight Patch for the deployment. SGT Edgar Alvarado designed the patch free-hand during a Mission Readiness Exercise at the Joint Readiness Training Center. The patch is oval in shape, and pays tribute to the 188th Assault Helicopter Company (Black Widows), where this unit traces its heritage. The Spiders formed again in May 2004 (the first combat deployment of the Spiders since Vietnam) as a result of Re-flagging due to aviation transformation. The unit, previously designated as the Black Widows of 9-101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), became the Alpha Company Spiders of the 4th Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. The Black Widow lineage moved to C/4-101st. CPT Jason Blevins (Black Widow 6 Ancient), with the permission of Mr. Dick Detra (Spider Alumni POC), is credited for maintaining the 188th AHC Black Widow lineage by adopting the Spider gun platoon call sign. He became the first Spider CO of the new era. CPT Blevins changed command to CPT Carl Preciado on 30 July 2004. The new Spider Assault Helicopter Company was generally the same size of the Vietnam Era Gun Platoon. It had ten UH-60L Blackhawk Helicopters and 41 Personnel. Of the 41 personnel, 29 were 9-101st Black Widow combat veterans of 9-101st Aviation Regiment during OIF I. These are their names:
SGT Edgar Alvarado, CW2 Neil Austin, SGT Randall Beyer, SPC Joshua Branum, CW3 Greg Clore, SPC Daniel DiMarco, CW2 Keith Eller, CW2 Jerry Emmons, CW2 Joel Fonseca, CW2 Edward Griffie, SPC Shaun Hancock, SPC Jason Harrison, SGT Dennis Hart, CW2 Frank Hillenberg, CW2 Mark Jackson, SPC Joshua Kammerdiener, CW2 Jeffery Metter, SFC Ryan Miller, SGT Joseph Navarrete, SGT Preston Rader, SPC Corey Rhodes, CW2 Thomas Russo, SPC Nathan Schmidt, CW2 Evan Shipton, SPC Christopher Thomspon, CW2 Gregory Thomsen, SPC Justin Wagner, SPC Ronnie Wilson, CPL Jason Young.
Other Spiders who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom I with adjacent units
SGT Aaron Downey of 4-101st, SGT Joseph Howard of 6-101st, SPC Sheldon Hoesli of 8-101st, 1SG Charles Silver of 7-101st
The following Spiders were first time soldiers to OIF. These are their names:
1LT Damion Calvert, CW2 Benjamin Carter, CW3 Doug Dickens, CW2 John Hurt, CPT Carl Preciado, 1LT Thomas Stillwell, SFC Christopher Wood
2. Air Movement to Taji, Iraq (vic. Baghdad) was planned and executed on 8 February 2005. The Spiders were part of an Assault Helicopter Battalion conducting a relief in place of the 2-227th Aviation Regiment (Lobos) of the 1st Cavalry Division.
3. POC is the undersigned
CARL A. PRECIADO
CPT, AV
Commanding
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