Task Force Pirate, 1st Battalion, 211th Aviation Regiment, Utah Army National Guard

The Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA) has announced its Calendar Year 2004 National Award Winners. Winning units and individuals are being recognized at the AAAA Annual Convention, being held this week, May 9-11, 2005, in Orlando, Fla. The AAAA Annual Convention provides an opportunity for its members to gather with government and industry representatives concerned with Army Aviation and participate in the professional program and exhibits.

The first AAAA Annual Convention was held in June 1959 and has taken place every year since then. In recent years, the sites of the AAAA Annual Convention have included Atlanta, Ga.; Fort Worth, Texas and Nashville, Tenn.

Task Force Pirate, led by the 1st Bn., 211th Avn. Regt., Utah ARNG epitomized the Army's transformation to units of action in which modular "plug and play" formations are combined to form deployable, lethal, capable and sustainable forces. Integrating Active Component, Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve elements are combined to form deployable, lethal, capable and sustainable forces. TF Pirate was a multifunctional aviation task force consisting of the battalion staff, Headquarters and HQs Company, two AH-64 Apache (shown below) companies, and an AH-64 aviation unit maintenance (AVUM) company (minus) from the 1-211th Avn.; and with two UH-60 companies, a CH-47 company, a UH-60 AVUM company (minus) and an aviation intermediate maintain company (minus) from the 25th Avn. Bde., 25th Inf. Div. (Light) from Hawaii. In addition, a North Dakota ARNG C-12 detachment and an Army Reserve UC-35 detachment from Georgia provided fixed wing support.

Deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom in Bagram, Afghanistan in 2004, TF Pirate out-performed all other aviation task forces, past and present, supporting OEF. TF Pirate flew in excess of 17,300 hours between May 1 to Dec. 28, executing 1,756 aerial missions, resulting in the transport of 42,757 people and over 5,113,000 pounds of cargo. Despite an operational flying tempo four times higher than their normal garrison rate, the Soldiers of TF Pirate excelled in keeping aircraft fully mission capable, with rates averaging 80 to 90 percent. TF Pirate has now returned and demobilized.

FMI: www.quad-a.org