10th Mountain's 1st Brigade Combat Team heads downrange

Pfc. Chris Paterson, a native of Hudson, Ohio, holds his daughter Aliva and son Foster before deploying to Afghanistan from Fort Drum, N.Y., Jan. 9. Paterson is an infantryman assigned to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, which is part of the 10th Mountain Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team. His battalion is the first of six from the brigade that are deploying with the troop surge in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Photo credit Staff Sgt. John Queen.

As the 3rd Brigade Combat Team comes home, the 1st BCT of the Army's most-deployed division - the 10th Mountain Division - heads downrange.

FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- The 10th Mountain Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team began deploying Soldiers to Afghanistan Jan. 9 with the departure of nearly 130 Soldiers of C Company, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment from Fort Drum's Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield.

They are the first of more than 3,000 Soldiers from the brigade who will deploy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The remainder of the battalion will be deployed by the end of January.

"Our battalion, and specifically this company, was notified of the requirement to move very quickly to Afghanistan in about the middle of December," said Lt. Col. Michael Loos, battalion commander. "From the date we were notified, it has been only about 10 or 11 working days."
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Commonly known as "Triple Deuce," the battalion has been tasked with training soldiers in the Afghan national army in support of OEF.

Loos, who will make this his fourth deployment to Afghanistan, said this company needed to move quickly.
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The 1st BCT was originally scheduled to deploy to Iraq during this same time frame; however, those orders were canceled in October and subsequently changed, putting the unit in line to deploy to Afghanistan. The remaining units in the brigade are set to be fully deployed by early spring.

This mission will mark the brigade combat team's fourth deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism. It is the second time 1st BCT has deployed to Afghanistan. The brigade has deployed twice to Iraq.

Godspeed!