Free Republic

FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Army News Service, Nov. 8, 2005) – Two hundred members of the 42nd Infantry Division headquarters returned to Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield Nov. 5 from a deployment to north-central Iraq. It was the first time since the Korean War that a National Guard division headquarters has deployed into combat. “Perhaps your greatest achievements are intangible,” said Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey as he welcomed the troops home. “You vividly demonstrated to the country what we in the Army have known for a long time, and that is the National Guard is a very competent organization that is...

FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Army News Service, Jan. 13, 2005)― The 42nd Infantry Division has deployed to Iraq with what leaders term a powerful, yet subtle, combat-multiplier — the sniper-trained Soldiers of the division’s 173rd Long Range Surveillance Detachment, and their newly-issued M-14 rifles. The rifles are “part and parcel” of the changing LRS(D) mission, said the unit’s commander, Capt. Michael Manning. “This is not a detachment of snipers,” said Manning. “This is a detachment of highly trained intelligence collectors. We have sniping capability. Now we can acquire targets, identify targets, and destroy targets with organic direct fire weapons. That’s the...