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Help me out this isn't good is it? These guys usually go when something it about to began right or wrong?? Oh I am sure they are just going to train;)
509th Infantry to ship out Friday

By staff reports

Fort Polk -- The 1st Battalion (Airborne), 509th Infantry Regiment, will hold a deployment ceremony for the Soldiers of Alpha and Bravo Companies Friday, June 11th at 10 a.m. outside of battalion headquarters, on the corner of 15th Street and Mississippi Ave.

The approximately 200 Soldiers of the Alpha and Bravo Companies will deploy in the coming weeks to the Central Area of Command in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The 509th, or Geronimo as they are known, is one of the Army's most elite units -- a parachute infantry unit highly trained in all levels of combat.

Its full-time mission is portraying the opposing forces for all those who train at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk. The 509th has not seen combat since World War II, although five members were selected to serve as Pathfinders, or advance scouts, for the 101st Airborne Division during the 1991 Gulf War.

Their helicopter was shot down during a search and rescue mission. Two were Killed In Action and one became a Prisoner of War.

Since the Gulf War, The JRTC and the 509th have helped train more units that eventually deployed for worldwide missions than any other training center. The ceremony is open to the public.

Well, it's been awhile, but the last that I heard the 1/509th was stationed permanently in Italy; Vicenza I think. That may have changed. Anytime an airborne unit deploys the bad guys ought to start thinking "Death From Above." But a big send off might really just mean a training deployment. Now, if they disappeared at midnight with nothing but the fading sound of a C-141's engines to herald their departure, THAT'S the time the bad guys need to keep their eyes on the sky. My buddies in the 2nd Ranger Battalion did just that in October of 1983. The next thing I knew, they were jumping on Grenada and kicking communist A$$. I lost three buddies that night. But damn they did their job!

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DOD

28,000 Troops to Participate in JNTC Exercise

The Department of Defene today announced that more than 28,000 U.S. and allied service members will participate in Combined Joint Task Force Exercise (CJTFEX) 04-2, culminating in its final phase from June 12 through 22, 2004.

CJTFEX 04-2 will present U.S. and multinational forces with realistic and dynamic exercise scenarios that closely replicate operational challenges military forces routinely encounter around the world. This is the first Joint National Training Capability (JNTC) integration event where training focuses on functional component commands. It is designed to provide high-quality, realistic training to prepare U.S. forces for joint and combined operations. CJTFEX 04-2 also provides the opportunity to certify the U.S. Navy's USS John F. Kennedy carrier strike group.

Participating forces will train using equipment and systems that incorporate the latest advances in technology, and support the full range of capabilities that may be required in various geographic theaters.

“This exercise provides all participants with invaluable experience in joint and coalition operations, and I'm especially impressed with the innovation and technical acumen that is enabling this JNTC event,” said Vice Adm. Gary Roughead, commander, U.S. Second Fleet and Striking Fleet Atlantic, who will be the CJTFEX 04-2 commander. “Achieving and maintaining more agile, responsive and connected forces means we must train efficiently and effectively. We're challenging all assumptions, and this advanced joint training does exactly that,” he added.

Live forces will conduct CJTFEX 04-2 throughout the southeastern United States, and along the Atlantic seaboard of the United States, while virtual participants will join the exercise from twenty different sites as far away as Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev., and Fort Bliss, Texas.

Participating in the exercise are forces from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Peru, Norway, Italy, Denmark, and France.

For more information on this exercise and media opportunites, contact Capt. Michael Armistead at (757) 686-7193.