An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Oct. 26, 2017

Maryland National Guard participates in Kuwait exercise

By Staff Sgt. Isolda Reyes 29th Combat Aviation Brigade

CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait – As the sun rises at Landing Zone Gerber, it is greeted by Soldiers from the Kuwait Land Forces and U.S. Army as they train together to breach and clear a make-shift town by both ground and air during exercise Desert Wall in Udari, Kuwait, Oct. 5, 2017.

Soldiers of the 29th Combat Aviation Brigade's 1-147th Assault Helicopter Battalion, Task Force Wraith, assisted throughout the combined ground and air assault training, including the culminating exercise involving the Kuwaiti Land Forces and Soldiers from 2nd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.

The 29th Combat Aviation Brigade, the aviation brigade for the 29th Infantry Division, is the major aviation command within the Maryland Army National Guard.

The partnered forces trained together to sharpen their skills prior to the joint exercise. In Desert Wall, Task Force Wraith used two UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to conduct the air assault for the U.S. and Kuwaiti ground forces.

Training included both cold load, when the helicopter is turned off, and hot load training, where the helicopter's rotary blades were spinning.

Additional familiarization training required passengers to safely demonstrate proper boarding procedures, carrying weapons on aircraft and how to properly egress the helicopter based on the wind and crew chief hand signals.

"This was my first time getting on a helicopter," said Mohamad Al Hashal, a vehicle driver with the Kuwait Land Forces, "it wasn't too hard to figure out."

The crew chiefs from Task Force Wraith were impressed with how quickly the trainees caught on to entering and egressing the helicopter.

"The Kuwaiti soldiers did an excellent job," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Aaron Williams, air mission commander from 1-147th Assault Helicopter Battalion. "They caught on fast and met the standards quickly."

The Kuwait soldiers appeared to enjoy the training as well.

"We enjoy working with the American Soldiers," said two of the soldiers with the Kuwait Land Forces, "they take their time, they learn our culture and they work with us."

They ran several iterations cold loading and then completed hot load training, during which they were flown around and dropped off to provide an additional layer of redundancy for safety.

Following the hot and cold load training, the partnered forces began working with the 3-1 Cav. to learn the formations and maneuvers needed once they were on ground so they could practice how to run the ground assault on the objective.

"This exercise increases the interoperability between U.S. and Kuwaiti forces here," said Capt. Tim Davis, Bravo Company commander, 2-7 Cav.

"Not only is it good training for them [Kuwait Army Soldiers]," said Capt. Ross Mitchell, 3rd ABCT aviation officer. "It's also good training for my guys because we don't get to do this every day."

On the final day of exercise Desert Wall the Kuwait Land Forces worked with their U.S. Army counterparts to successfully breach and clear the buildings and secure the objective.

"This was a successful mission," said Mitchell. "The Kuwaiti soldiers hit their time markers, kept their focus and achieved the objective set before them."

 

 

Related Articles
Sgt. Jessica Shields, a water purification specialist with the 935th Aviation Support Battalion, Missouri Army National Guard, checks the chlorine levels of the water meant for cooking and cleaning laundry during TRADEWINDS 25 exercise at Teteron Bay, Trinidad and Tobago, April 27, 2025.
Missouri National Guard Water Purification Team Supports TRADEWINDS 25
By Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Crane, | May 1, 2025
TETERON BAY, Trinidad – Few resources are more critical than clean water for sustaining troops in the field. From cooking meals to maintaining hygiene, a steady supply of safe water is essential to keeping Soldiers healthy,...

Group photo of Delta Company, 341st Military Intelligence Battalion Soldiers standing in front of the Seattle / King County Clinic.
Washington Guard Soldiers Support Clinic Through Language and Compassion
By Joseph Siemandel, | May 1, 2025
SEATTLE – A group of Soldiers from the Delta Company, 341st Military Intelligence Battalion, recently volunteered at a Seattle and King County medical clinic to provide language support for visitors receiving free medical,...

U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Duke Pirak, deputy director, Air National Guard (ANG), addresses wing commanders and command chiefs at the Wing Leader Fly-In (WLFI) event, McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, Tennessee, April 23, 2025. The WLFI is an annual event that brings together senior leaders assigned to each of the 90 wings across the United States’ 50 states, three territories, and the District of Columbia to collaborate ideas and provide input on critical matters affecting the future of the ANG.
Air National Guard Leaders Host 2025 Wing Leader Fly-In
By Tech. Sgt. Sarah McClanahan, | May 1, 2025
ALCOA, Tenn. – U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Duke Pirak, acting director of the Air National Guard, and Chief Master Sgt. Joshua D. Moore, command chief of the Air Guard, hosted Air Guard wing commanders and senior enlisted...