4 1 AVIATION BATTALION HISTORICAL RECORD OPS

File: 090496_jul96_decls33_0007.txt
Page: 0007
Total Pages: 17
Subject: 4 1 AVIATION BATTALION HISTORICAL RECORD OPS                    

Box  ID: BX001066

Document Number:          9

Folder Title: MERITORIOUS UNIT COMMENDATION-4TH BN-1ST AVN REGIMENT                                           

Folder Seq #:         11

Unit: 1ST ID      

Parent Organzation: VII  CORPS  






               recon missions for all three brigades, and OH-58D's conducted deep attacks with 1-1 Avn and
               screening missions with 1/4 Cav.
                       Another UH60 (338) was tasked to pick up a captured Iraqi General from the forward area
               and deliver him to the rear. CW2 Pat Cavanaugh, CW2 Chris LaSalle, crewchief SPC Jim
               Wiebener, and door gunner PFC Jesse Warner hadjust returned from a morning DISCOM flight
               when battalion passed a message down that they had another mission. At approximately 1300
               hours, CW2 Cavanaugh received the mission brief to fly north from FAA Vagrant (NT620105) to
               D-Main (NT706322), pick up an Iraqi General POW and fly him to meet a US General in the rear.
               At 1400 hours, aircraft 338 departed for the mission. A few minutes later they landed and picked
               up an Iraqi Brigadier General, two captains, two enlisted soldiers, a US CWO interrogator, and a
               translator. After lifting off they turned south and flew towards the destination. Enroute, the
               interrogator said that the General-to-General meeting was cancelled and the prisoners were to go to
               a specified POW camp for debrief. CW2 Cavanaugh and CW2 LaSalle then flew direct to the
               POW camp. After the debriefing was completed, aircraft 338 returned with the interrogator and
               translator to 4-1 Avn Bn, mission complete.

                                                               6+2

               26 February 1991
                       The advance party left for FAA Iraq at 0300 to set up the jump TOC and establish
               communicafions for the arrival of the main body. The main body of the battalion arrived late in the
               evening at FAA Iraq, located at PT3887, approximately one hundred ten KM northwest of Kuwait
Iraq. The
               battalion accomplished this move while supporting the division with general support and
               reconnaissance aircraft, moving fuel by both aircraft and HEMTT tanker in support of the brigade,
               and conducting screening missions with 1/4 Cav and attack missions with 1 - 1 Avn.
                       While conducting start up operations at FAA Vagrant, SPC Steven Trautman, a crewchief
               on a UH-60, sustained a critical head injury from a blade strike.
                       UH-60 aircraft 338 with CW2 Cavanaugh, CW2 LaSalle, SPC Wiebener, and PFC
               Wamer,-and UH-60 aircraft 143 with CW3 Monty, WOI Henkes, SGT Walton, and PFC Ayala
               were tasked with general support. At 0700 hours, UH-60 aircraft 338 departed FAA Vagrant
               (NT620105) for the brigade TAC (NT819391). Weather was approximately 200 foot overcast
               with haze and a quarter mile visibility. At 0730, UH-60 aircraft 143 departed enroute to the
               BTAC. While enroute, UH-60 aircraft 143 was called by Diamondback 6, who requested its crew
               fly to the fuel convoy's location and direct them to the BTAC because the convoy's GPS had
               failed. UH-60 aircraft 143 FM homed to the convoy and directed them to the BTAC. After
               arriving at the BTAC UH-60's 143 and 338 refueled and were directed to move fuel blivets
               forward of the battalion into Iraq. At 1000 hours UH-69s 143 and 338 arrived at the Iraq drop
               zone site and shutdown.
                       Approximately thirty minutes later US tanks, moving on line, bypassed the two aircraft,
               and at 1200 hours battalion UH-60's and AH-64's began arriving. At 1500 hours, the battalion
               wag ordered forward to TAA Iraq. Aircrafts 143, 338 and 163 were unable to crank because of
               APU failures. The three aircraft crews were instructed to remain with the aircraft, establish
y, and wait for the support convoy to arrive from the rear. About 1800 hours, US elements
               captured a group of Iraqi soldiers within five kilometers of the aircraft's position. Five hours later
               the support convoy arrived with AGPU'S. Aircraft 143 was the first 4-1 Avn aircraft to land in
               Iraq. After arriving at FAA Iraq, 4-1 Avn Bn set up TOC operations in the M109 van. One GP
               medium was set up for sleeping; however, most soldiers slept in the vehicles they had arrived in,
               and the flight crews slept in the aircraft.