Warriors - Alaska - Department of Military and Veterans Affairs ...

Task Force ODIN Members Leave United States. Members of Task Force
ODIN, B Company, 306th Aerial Exploitation Battalion, load onto a military chartered aircraft as the
sun sets on their final day in the United States. More than 50 Army National Guardsmen from six
states make up the company that provides a manned aerial reconnaissance platform to ground
commanders deployed in the northern and eastern parts of Afghanistan.
The pilots and aerial sensor operators will log hundreds of flight
hours during their 12-month deployment.
Photo: Staff Sergeant Jack W. Carlson III,
B Company, 306th Aerial Exploitation Batallion
Alaska Army National Guardsmen
Deploy to
Afghanistan
By Kalei Rupp, DMVA Public Affairs
CAMP DENALI, Alaska ... A dozen
Alaska Army National Guard members
deployed to Afghanistan in August for a
year in support of an intelligence and
surveillance mission.
The 12 Guardsmen, representing the
aviation unit Detachment 54 of the Alaska
Army National Guard, will be flying C-12
aircraft around the theater of operations to
collect information for land component
commanders.
“The data we collect will be turned over
to the ground commanders to help them
plan their operations,” said Chief Warrant
Officer Five Terry Rollie. “The demand for
this type of intelligence has doubled; it’s a
real game changer.”
Some of the reconnaissance they will
provide focuses on improvised explosive
devices that make the road system so
dangerous. While in Afghanistan, they will
also be supporting Task Force ODIN, an
acronym for Observe, Detect, Identify and
Neutralize.
“Our Alaska Guardsmen will be
supplying essential information to ground
teams to help combat the threat down there,”
said Major General Thomas H. Katkus,
Detachment 54 Deploys. Nine members of the Alaska Army National Guard’s Detachment 54 stand together on
the drill hall floor on Camp Denali before deploying to Afghanistan in August for one year in support of an intelligence and
surveillance mission. Photo: Staff Sergeant Karima Turner, DMVA Public Affairs
adjutant general of the Alaska National
Guard. “This is a top-notch group of
aviators and support specialists.”
Here in Alaska, the unit’s mission is the
timely transport of distinguished visitors
and cargo via the C-12, a military version of
the King Air 200. The intelligence mission
while deployed will utilize their capabilities
in a new way.
“This is a really cool mission that is a
complete departure from what we normally
do when flying,” Rollie said.
The deployed Alaska Guardsmen call
Anchorage, Chugiak, Kenai, Wasilla, Eagle
River and Delta Junction home. During the
deployment, they will be working with units
from South Dakota, Kansas, Massachusetts,
Florida and Washington, D.C. ■
18 Securing the State, Defending the Nation WARRIORS • Fall 2011