FORT BELVOIR, Va., - The initial deployment the Army National Guard's Task Force Observe, Detect, Identify, and Neutralize or ODIN will come to an end this weekend, when Soldiers from Company B of the 3rd Battalion, 214th Aviation Regiment redeploy to Fort Benning, Ga.
The unit, which is comprised of Soldiers from eight states, Louisiana, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia, and the Operational Support Airlift Agency headquartered here, was deployed to Afghanistan for 12 months.
Col. Michael Bobeck, the OSAA commander, said the Soldiers should be proud of their deployment with the Army Guard's first ODIN aerial intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) company.
"These Soldiers achieved great success in establishing another relevant and indispensible combat support mission task for Army fixed wing units," he said.
The Soldiers excelled in the tactical cargo-passenger transport role in the Army's twin-engine C-12 and C-26 airplanes for many years.
For that reason, Army leaders wanted to capitalize on this basic Army Aviation competency to meet the new and emerging wartime requirement for an aerial ISR capability for combatant commanders in Afghanistan.
Company B was quickly dispatched last year as part of Secretary of Defense's initiative to deploy additional ISR aircraft to Afghanistan to help U.S. troops avoid roadside bombs.
The twin-engine turboprop aircraft are off the shelf commercial airplanes modified with special electronic mission equipment to detect improvised explosive devices (IEDs). They work with other special ISR aircraft, unmanned aerial systems and communication networks to provide ground commanders and their maneuver units with near real-time intelligence for roadside threats in their battle space.
After the Army requested the Guard's help in establishing the task force, ARNG flight crews quickly learned to fly a commercial twin-engine turboprop aircraft that is similar to the Army's C-12 airplanes.
Enlisted Soldiers from numerous specialties, ranging from aviation operations to infantry, learned a whole new skill set to operate infrared and specialized video equipment during flight environment.
Maj. John Baynham, the company commander, recalls with pride his unit's ability to overcome the initial challenges in forming a new unit. The biggest challenge was that none of the ISR aircraft were modified or mission ready when the unit deployed to Afghanistan.
"We started with nothing and progressed to flying 700 combat hours per month," said Baynham. "They started as a collection of individuals, and now they are a cohesive combat unit."
During the deployment, the Soldiers contributed immensely to ODIN's success. They played a key role in not only preventing IED attacks, but also tracing, capturing and killing enemy combatants, Guard officials said.
Baynham's 55-Soldier company flew more than 2,000 hours while in country.
As this unit prepares for redeployment, Maj. Marc Werner, commander of the second rotation, looks forward to the challenge of the mission.
Prior to his recent selection as the company commander, Werner worked on the OSAA staff coordinating ODIN training, mobilization and deployment plans. Now he's ready to execute the plans, train his troops and execute the wartime mission in theater.
His company is comprised of Soldiers from six states, Idaho, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Louisiana and Wyoming.
"I am grateful to have the opportunity to lead these outstanding Soldiers in performing a critical wartime mission," Werner said. "I look forward to contributing to the continued successful execution of the ODIN mission with the Army Guard's finest fixed wing aviators."