101st Airborne Screamin' Eagles Update

The time lines below are estimates. A Brigade has between 3,000 and 4,500 soldiers depending on the mission.

The Leaf Chronicle

About 7,000 soldiers of the the 101st Airborne Division's 1st and 3rd Brigade Combat teams have hit the Kuwaiti desert with plans to move into Iraq soon.

The 2nd Brigade Combat Team is expected to follow, making it a total of 10,500 Fort Campbell soldiers to deploy in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom by late October.

This is the division's third major rotation in Iraq, with the mission of providing security and training Iraqi forces and helping with nation-building projects.

Maj. Frank Garcia of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team said "Strike" soldiers are more than prepared to go.

For nearly a year, the brigade has trained not only for combat and counter-insurgency tactics, but learning Arabic and Iraqi culture.

He said as the brigade gets ready to move, it's good to hear reports that progress is being made with security in Iraq and that violence is subsiding.

"The units in theater seem to be making a positive impact on the situation. We know it can be a volatile region at times," Garcia said. "We'll work closely with the unit we are replacing to learn the area, people, leaders and other environmental aspects of our area of operations. The partnership we establish with the people and their leaders in our area will greatly help in achieving continued progress."

Beginning early next year, about 5,000 Fort Campbell soldiers will deploy to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Those units will be the division staff, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade and 4th Brigade Combat Team.

Both deployments are expected to last up to 15 months.

DEPLOYMENTS

The time lines below are estimates. A Brigade has between 3,000 and 4,500 soldiers depending on the mission.

Iraq (Total 10,500 soldiers)

1st Brigade Combat Team — In Kuwait. 3rd Brigade Combat Team — In Kuwait and in process of leaving. 2nd Brigade Combat Team — In process of leaving. Brigade Color Casing and Award Ceremony to be held 1 p.m., Tuesday, at brigade headquarters. Afghanistan (Total 5,000 soldiers) 101st Airborne Division staff, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, and 4th Brigade Combat Team — about 5,000 soldiers — will leave Fort Campbell in January 2008 for Afghanistan. Approximately 500 Fort Campbell soldiers are deployed in prior OIF rotations. Elements of the 101st Sustainment Brigade will be broken up and deploy to different areas of Iraq and Afghanistan to support various units and missions. In 2009, the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade is slated to replace the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade in Afghanistan.