USAREUR, USAG Ansbach and 12th CAB leaders welcome 1st Air Cavalry Soldiers to Europe

USAREUR, USAG Ansbach and 12th CAB leaders welcome 1st Air Cavalry Soldiers to Europe

ILLESHEIM, Germany— A Hand Over/Take Over ceremony was held Nov. 7 at the U.S. Army Ansbach Garrison’s Storck Barracks for the first of the expected 1,900 Soldiers of the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division arriving in theater from Fort Hood, Texas.

The brigade officially uncased its colors during the ceremony at the Illesheim Airfield marking the start of its deployment to Europe.

The 1st Air Cavalry Brigade (1st ACB) arrives in support of the Atlantic Resolve mission and replaces the departing 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, which redeploys back to its home base at Fort Drum, New York.

Brig. Gen. Mary Kate Leahy, deputy commanding general and director of U.S. Army Europe’s Army Reserve Engagement Cell, and Brig. Gen. Anthony Aguto, commanding general of 7th Army Training Command, were on hand to welcome the brigade, as were leaders from the U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach and the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade (12th CAB), the garrison’s largest tenant.

Also attending the event was Bürgermeister Heinrich Forster, mayor of Illesheim, who graciously welcomed the 1st ACB Soldiers in English and German, and made a heartfelt goodbye to the departing 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, which redeploys back to its home base at Fort Drum, New York. “We hope you come back to visit and take with you fond memories of Illesheim.” Forster said.

The 1st ACB is deploying to Europe with 89 helicopters. Of that number, 36 aircraft are to be located at Storck Barracks in Illesheim, while another 35 additional helicopters will be located at the nearby Katterbach Airfield. Other aircraft will be located with NATO allies in Eastern Europe.

The brigade headquarters will be based and operate out of Storck Barracks, and will deploy assets to bases in Latvia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve operational exercises in Eastern Europe.

Atlantic Resolve is the demonstration of the United States’ commitment to the collective security of Eastern Europe through the deployment of rotational U.S. forces to improve interoperability and to strengthen relationships with NATO Allies and partner nations.

To see more photos from the event, visit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/usagansbachphotos/albums

To learn more about the people and facilities of the U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach (USAG Ansbach) and the people they support in Ansbach, Katterbach and Illesheim, visit the community website at www.ansbach.army.mil

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