Press Release Index
CONTACT: Tech Sgt. Sara Pastorello at 845-563-2075
FOR RELEASE: Wednesday, Jan 27, 2016

NY Army National Guard Troops Depart for Training from Newburgh this Wednesday

STEWART AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, NEWBURGH, NY (01/25/2016)(readMedia)-- More than 200 Soldiers of the New York Army National Guard's 369th Sustainment Brigade, known as the "Harlem Hellfighters," will load military C-130 aircraft and depart from Stewart Air National Guard Base this Wednesday for a major unit training exercise.

The troops will head to Fort Carson, Colorado to participate in a large-scale battle simulation exercise known to the troops as a Warfighter exercise.

WHAT: Military flights departing Newburgh, N.Y. for a National Guard training exercise.

WHO: New York Army National Guard Soldiers of the 369th Sustainment Brigade.

WHEN: Wednesday, January 27. Members of the press must be at the base no later than 9 a.m.

Reporters must contact Tech Sgt. Sara Pastorello at 845-563-2075 no later than noon on Monday, January 25 for access to this secure military facility.

WHERE: Main Hangar, Stewart Air National Guard Base, Newburgh, N.Y.

Coverage Opportunities:

Imagery of the manifesting and loading of Soldiers on board C-130 military aircraft for departure to Fort Carson, Colorado. There will be opportunities to interview unit representatives.

Reporters wishing to attend the event must call Tech Sgt. Sara Pastorello prior to noon on Monday, January 25 and must provide e-mail address (to allow for updated information if necessary) along with names of representatives. For more information contact the 105th Public Affairs office at 845-563-2075.

Background

The Warfighter Command Post Exercise

The Warfighter exercise will be focused on supporting a notional Army combat division conducting operations that require staff planning and implementation of a logistics support plan. Staff and Soldiers will be immersed in the Army Command Post of the Future (CPOF) and Battle Command Sustainment Support System.

These command and control systems provide the 369th Headquarters with improved visibility to track in-transit movement of supplies, providing logistics support such as fuel, ammunition, replacement vehicles or weapons systems, medical supplies, food and water for Soldiers on a battlefield.

The Warfighter exercise will evaluate and validate the unit leadership and staff capability to execute logistics on the battle field.

"The 369th's Warfighter Exercise will be a great test for the soldiers and Staff of the unit and is the culmination of over 13 months of training and preparation," said 369th Sustainment Brigade Commander Col. David Martinez. "The 369th is poised to execute this warfighter with its active and reserve partners and we (the 369th) will live up to its long standing reputation as the Harlem Hell Fighters".

The 369th Sustainment Brigade

The 369th Sustainment Brigade Headquarters is based at the 5th Avenue Armory in Harlem. The unit is temporarily occupying training facilities at Camp Smith, N.Y., near Peekskill, while their headquarters armory undergoes major renovations.

The mission of the sustainment brigade is to provide mission command for combat support and combat service support units. It can be adjusted in size to support anywhere from one to ten brigade combat teams (BCTs). The unit can operate jointly with other services to allow the Army to better manage the flow of logistics into an area of operations and support the common logistics needs of other services such as fuel, common ammunition, medical supplies, repair parts of wheeled vehicles, and so forth.

Soldiers from across the 369th Sustainment Brigade have served in Iraq and Afghanistan and been involved in several recent joint exercises in Africa. During the state response to Superstorm Sandy in November 2012, the 369th Sustainment Brigade played a key role in delivering relief supplies across New York City and helped sustain a National Guard response force that saw some 5,000 troops assisting New Yorkers in the storm's aftermath.

The 369th Sustainment Brigade was originally organized as the 15th Regiment of the New York National Guard in 1915 as a unit for African American Soldiers in a segregated Army. When the 15th New York was federalized in 1917 and sent to France the unit was renumbered as the 369th Infantry Regiment.

The 369th, which is the subject of the recent Max Brooks graphic Novel "The Harlem Hell Fighters" served more than six months on the front lines during World War I, sustained 1,500 casualties, and its soldiers received 171 Legion of Honor or Croix de Guerre awards from the French government.

Albany native Henry Johnson who became famous for defeating a German patrol during an engagement in May 1918, was a member of the 369th. President Obama awarded Johnson the Medal of Honor for those actions in June 2015.

© NYS DMNA Press Release:NY Army National Guard Troops Depart for Training from Newburgh this Wednesday
URL: https://dmna.ny.gov/pressroom/?id=1453751943
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Page Last Modified: Jan 25, 2016