News: Wisconsin Guard Soldiers (Military - 2011)
Contact: bob@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Berglund, O'Donahue, Waggoner
----Source: The Star News (Medford, Taylor Co., Wisconsin) Thursday, February 24 2011, online edition
Wrap Up Iraq Deployment, by Reporter Mark Berglund, The Star News
February 18, 2011 — It was cold, it was windy, it was dark and it was worth it
as the loved ones of national guard soldiers deployed to Iraq for almost a year
were reunited tonight at Volk Field. Among the soldiers returning are members of
the 273rd Sapper Company based at the Medford armory.
"For Task Force Badger personnel heading back to the great state of Wisconsin,
congratulations on a job well done," was the farewell message to Wisconsin's men
and women of the north, the Soldiers of the 724th Engineer Battalion, in a
transfer of authority ceremony Monday in Iraq.
The parting comment from Lt. Col. Patrick Kinsman, incoming commander of the
Army's 326th Engineer Battalion, signifies the end of the Wisconsin Army
National Guard unit's 10-month deployment to Iraq and brings them one step
closer to returning home.
The 724th Engineer Battalion deployed to Iraq last April with approximately 400
Soldiers from units in four northern Wisconsin communities. Operating as Task
Force Badger, the 724th became the only remaining engineering battalion in Iraq
and directed a total of eight engineering companies - including Guard units from
Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico, active Army units from Fort Lewis, Wash., and
Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, and an Army Reserve unit from Fort Belvoir, Va.
The 724th's organic Wisconsin units include Headquarters Company, 724th Engineer
Battalion in Chippewa Falls; Company A (Forward Support) in Hayward; 230th
Engineer Company (Clearance) in Superior; and the 273rd Engineer Company
(Sapper) in Medford.
"To the men and women of Task Force Badger, I'd like to express my sincere
thanks," said Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Dave O'Donahue. "You have amazed me
with your ingenuity, perseverance and dedication to mission accomplishment."
Task Force Badger's principal mission was to provide freedom of movement
throughout Iraq. This included 200,000 kilometers of route clearance - searching
for and removing roadside bombs - leading the battalion to adopt the motto, "We
hunt what others fear." Task Force Badger also removed five major military
bridges, completed construction work for Iraqi forces at combined check points
near Kirkuk and Mosul, trained Iraqi forces in bridging techniques and
procedures, and moved more than $90 million of vehicles and equipment out of
Iraq as part of the drawdown of forces. In addition, Task Force Badger assisted
the State Department in the construction of Contingency Operating Station Erbil
in northern Iraq.
The deployment remained dangerous even as Operation Iraqi Freedom became
Operation New Dawn. Task Force Badgers have been awarded 135 combat action
badges, six Purple Hearts and four combat medic badges.
O'Donahue wished their replacements, the Soldiers of the 326th Battalion well.
"May God provide you wisdom, strength, and courage as you serve our nation in
Iraq," he said. "I also ask God to bless the Soldiers of Task Force Badger as we
head back to the high ground. May we have safe travel and a joyful reunion with
our loved ones."
According to 1st Lt. Joseph Waggoner, public affairs officer for Task Force
Badger, the incoming battalion has some historical connections with Wisconsin.
The 326th was reconstituted in Milwaukee in 1921 following World War I;
Milwaukee is home to the 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, the parent unit of
the 724th. The 326th is part of the 101st Airborne Division, whose shoulder
patch depicts "Old Abe," the bald eagle which served as the mascot of the
Wisconsin 8th Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War.
The 400 Soldiers deployed with the 724th make up about half of the approximately
800 Wisconsin Guard Soldiers and Airmen currently serving on active duty. Since
Sept. 11, 2001 every unit in the Wisconsin National Guard has deployed troops in
support of the global war on terror - many more than once.
However, the National Guard remains ready to answer the call at home. Over the
past decade, the Wisconsin Guard has called troops to duty to support recovery
efforts following numerous floods, blizzards and tornadoes in the state as well
as airport and air base security following the Sept. 11 terror attacks,
Southwest border operations, Hurricane Katrina response, North Dakota flooding,
Kentucky ice storms, Haiti earthquake relief efforts, and Deep Water Horizon air
space management. Most recently, approximately 100 Wisconsin Guard members were
called to state active duty Feb. 1-2 to assist local authorities during a major
winter storm.
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