CAMP BEUHRING, Kuwait - The New York Army National Guard's 3rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation Regiment, ended its Middle East mission with a transition of authority ceremony at Camp Beuhring on May 6.
A third of the 250 Soldiers who deployed on the mission in June have already returned to Fort Cavazos, Texas, to outprocess before returning home. The remaining Soldiers will be departing in the coming week.
The New York National Guard unit, which has been flying missions in support of Task Force Spartan, the U.S. Army's 10,000-Soldier force in the region, handed over its duties to the 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation Regiment from the New York Army National Guard.
The 250 Soldiers are based at Army Aviation Support Facility 3 at the Albany International Airport in Latham and at Army Aviation Support Facility 2 and Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma.
The assault helicopter battalion deployed with 22 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters and provided transportation for personnel and cargo in Kuwait and Iraq under the command of the 36th Combat Aviation Brigade from the Texas Army National Guard.
The battalion's Soldiers flew 5,030 hours and moved 6,384 passengers and 129 tons of cargo.
The 142nd Aviation also flew many distinguished visitors around the region, including Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
In January, the battalion also participated in Exercise Juniper Oak, a major U.S. Central Command exercise with Israeli forces.
In February, the New York Army Guard aviators participated in a multinational live fire exercise to mark Kuwait's liberation from Iraqi forces in the Persian Gulf War.
The 3rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation, also served as the aviation element for a regional crisis response task force. The New York Army National Guard Soldiers teamed up with an infantry battalion and trained to transport and insert those Soldiers during air assault operations.
After demobilizing at Fort Cavazos, the New York Army National Guard Soldiers will return to the airports closest to their homes.