Year-Long Mission Supporting Emergency Evacuation

The Idaho National Guard deployed 10 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and over 80 soldiers to Fort Belvoir, Virginia, on a year-long mission supporting the Joint Emergency Evacuation Plan (JEEP) in the Washington, D.C. area.

The personnel, from Company B of the 1-183rd Assault Helicopter Battalion, held a departure ceremony at Gowen Field, which shares a runway with the Boise Airport (KBOI). The ceremony was a send-off for the troops and air crews where the had an opportunity to say their good-byes to families and friends until their return.

The JEEP is a recurring mission that is shared by various active-duty and National Guard units from across the country to provide emergency airlift capability to official personnel in the National Capital region.

Capt. Eric Fitzpatrick, B Company commander said, “This mission is vital to the safety and security of our nation, and I truly believe each of you are the most valuable asset that we are taking with us. Each of you has been trained to meet the challenges that you are about to face, and I believe you are the backbone of this mission.”

Maj. Gen. Tim Donnellan, commander of the Idaho National Guard, in his remarks wished the soldiers farewell and reminded family members of the resources available to them if needed.

Donnellan also said to the soldiers, “All the hard work, all the training that you have done will satisfy the requirements for this incredible federal mission. I’m very proud that, once again, Idaho is stepping up and we are answering the call, and we are doing what we said we would do. We will be ready, and we will be relevant when asked to do these missions.”

FMI:  www.imd.idaho.gov