For the Wings of Destiny Brigade, the past 12 months has brought with it lifesaving missions, advancements in training, deployments and so much more.
The Soldiers of 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, trained inexhaustibly to maintain readiness and continue Wings of Destiny Brigade’s legacy of excellence. The 101st CAB supported multiple training exercises and air assault operations across the division, rotations at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and community outreach events including flyovers of the Tennessee Titans Military Appreciation Game at the Nissan Stadium in Nashville and the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Soldiers of Destiny Brigade started 2017 on a high note in January with the promotion of Stephanie Ostrowski to the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 5. Ostrowski has the honor and distinction of being the Senior Female Apache pilot in the U.S. Army actively flying the AH-64E Apache helicopter. She serves as the brigade safety officer and instructor pilot mentoring junior pilots.
Starting in 2016, the brigade started a relationship with Murray, Kentucky, and 101st CAB was pleased to see that kinships continue to flourish into 2017. In March, Jack Rose, mayor of Murray, presented Col. Craig J. Alia, the brigade commander, with a key to the city for the unit’s contributions to the community as well as Murray State University. The partnership between the city and the 101st CAB was solidified with the signing of a proclamation by Rose, Alia, and Larry Elkins, judge executive of Murray.
Continuing efforts in Murray, 101st CAB participated in the Murray Kentucky 5K/half marathon race promoting physical fitness in April. Destiny Soldiers competed in the race earning two second place and one third place finish for three different age brackets.
The unit bade farewell to the brigade senior enlisted adviser, Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Lindsey, and welcomed Command Sgt. Maj, Reginald Thomas during a May 3 change of responsibility ceremony. Lindsey served previously as the command sergeant major for the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade overseeing the inactivation of the unit parting ways after 32 years of active duty service.
Also in May, Destiny Soldiers proved their warrior spirit during the Week of the Eagles combative tournament taking home three first place trophies in the welterweight, middleweight and heavyweight divisions. The 101st Combat Aviation Brigade also took part in an air assault demonstration during WOE’s Air Assault Open House and Community Fair at The Sabalauski Air Assault School.
In early August, Soldiers assigned to 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 101st CAB, deployed as Task Force Sabre to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Spartan Shield. The mission focuses on building partner capacity in the Middle East to promote regional self-reliance and increased security.
Not long after 2-17th Cav. Regt., deployed, the 1st Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 101st CAB, celebrated its 30th anniversary in September. The battalion celebrated its excellence with a 30K relay race, a poker ride and ended the week with a social occasion where former Expect No Mercy alumni spoke about their experiences while serving in the battalion and how it shaped their military careers.
“We brought back a lot of Soldiers who were prior [Expect] No Mercy command team members, pilots and other important figures,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Ronald Schlangen, the senior enlisted adviser for the 1-101st Avn. Regt., 101st CAB. “To bring them in and show them where [Expect] No Mercy was and where we are today.”
Also in September, Task Force Eagle Assault staged in parts of Alabama and Florida as a response element that was never called forward in support of Hurricane Irma relief. After the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria, Soldiers with C Company, 6th Battalion, 101st General Support Aviation Battalion, 101st CAB, went to Puerto Rico to support FEMA with their relief efforts in October.
“Seeing the people you help and seeing the impact you’re having keeps your morale up,” said Capt. Kenneth Danos, executive officer of the company during its time in Puerto Rico. “You’ve always got to think about what you’re doing and who you’re doing it for and know that you’re helping. It’s pretty awesome.”
Arriving days after Hurricane Maria, the unit delivered more than 4,000 pounds of food, more than 4,000 gallons of clean water and conducted countless patient transfers and medical evacuations.
To finish the year, 5th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 101st CAB, supported a training rotation for the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade at JRTC in Fort Polk, Louisiana. The SFABs are the Army’s new and first permanent units whose core mission is conducting security cooperation activities. The rotation continues into 2018.