1 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption From left, Command Chief Warrant Officer 5 Rich Huber, Sgt. 1st Class Robert Jones, Staff Sgt. Vergia Farrow, Col. Alan Gronewold and Command Sgt. Maj. Refugio Rosas poses for a photo in front of the Task Force Phoenix T-wall at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. (Photo Credit: Maj. Jason Sweeney) VIEW ORIGINAL 2 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption Task Force Phoenix Over the Horizon (OTH) force CH-47 Chinook helicopters arrive at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, on Aug. 3, 2021. The OTH helicopters are flown by crews from Task Force Phoenix's 1st Battalion, 171st Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), from the Minnesota National Guard and Iowa National Guard. (Photo Credit: Maj. Jason Sweeney) VIEW ORIGINAL 3 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption Task Force Raptor Soldiers move a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on the flight line at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. (Photo Credit: Maj. Jason Sweeney) VIEW ORIGINAL 4 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption Crew chief Sgt. Jaime Martinez, from A Company, 1st Assault Helicopter Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, currently attached to C Company, scans his sector in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in northern Iraq. (Photo Credit: Maj. Jason Sweeney) VIEW ORIGINAL 5 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption Task Force Phoenix Commander Col. Alan Gronewold, Task Force Phoenix Command Sgt. Maj. Refugio Rosas and Task Force Command Chief Warrant Officer 5 Rich Huber case the 40th Combat Aviation colors during a Transfer-of-Authority ceremony for the outgoing unit Task Force Phoenix, 40th Combat Aviation Brigade, and the incoming Task Force Eagle, 11th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, in the base theater at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. The casing of the colors symbolically marks the end of Task Force Phoenix's nine-month mission in the Middle East. (Photo Credit: Maj. Jason Sweeney) VIEW ORIGINAL 6 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption Task Force Phoenix Commander Col. Alan Gronewold, Task Force Phoenix Command Sgt. Maj. Refugio Rosas and Task Force Command Chief Warrant Officer 5 Rich Huber case the 40th Combat Aviation colors during a Transfer-of-Authority ceremony for the outgoing unit Task Force Phoenix, 40th Combat Aviation Brigade, and the incoming Task Force Eagle, 11th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, in the base theater at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. The casing of the colors symbolically marks the end of Task Force Phoenix's nine-month mission in the Middle East. (Photo Credit: Maj. Jason Sweeney) VIEW ORIGINAL 7 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Brandon Parker, Chief of Staff, Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve, addresses the Soldiers of the outgoing unit Task Force Phoenix, 40th Combat Aviation Brigade, and the incoming Task Force Eagle, 11th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, during a Transfer-of-Authority ceremony in the base theater at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. (Photo Credit: Maj. Jason Sweeney) VIEW ORIGINAL 8 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption Task Force Eagle Commander Col. Matthew Hill addresses the audience during a Transfer-of-Authority ceremony for the outgoing unit Task Force Phoenix, 40th Combat Aviation Brigade, and the incoming Task Force Eagle, 11th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, in the base theater at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. (Photo Credit: Maj. Jason Sweeney) VIEW ORIGINAL 9 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption Task Force Phoenix Commander Col. Alan Gronewold addresses his Soldiers who have completed their nine-month mission in the Middle East and wishes godspeed to the incoming unit Task Force Eagle, 11th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, during a Transfer-of-Authority ceremony in the base theater at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. (Photo Credit: Maj. Jason Sweeney) VIEW ORIGINAL

CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait With the casing of the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade's red and blue colors, Task Force Phoenix's nine-month mission in the Middle East formally came to an end.

On Jan. 6, Col. Alan Gronewold, Command Sgt. Maj. Refugio Rosas and Command Chief Warrant Officer 5 Rich Huber cased the colors during a Transfer-of-Authority ceremony in the base theater at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. The ceremony marked the official transfer of the mission from Task Force Phoenix to Task Force Eagle, 11th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade.

"All of you should be very proud," U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Brandon Parker, Chief of Staff, Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve, told the Soldiers of Task Force Phoenix in a speech during the ceremony. "You have worked tirelessly under very challenging conditions to fulfill our mission. And let me just state, I believe our mission to be the most righteous oneto assist in ridding the world of most unconscionable evil, that is ISIS."

Parker said the 40th CAB played a critical role toward achieving a lasting defeat of Daesh and ISIS during a period when Operation Inherent Resolve transitioned from combat operations to an advise-and-assist role.

"Col. Gronewold, Task Force Phoenix, we owe you a debt of gratitude for which we can never repay," Parker said. "You have paved the way for steady progress toward a day when ISIS is a distant memory."

Led by the California Army National Guards 40th Combat Aviation Brigade, Task Force Phoenix consisted of more than 1,700 Soldiers from a mix of active duty and Army National Guard units from nine states, as well as aviation squadrons from Spain and Italy. The task forces aviation assets included UH-60 Black Hawk, CH-47 Chinook, AH-64 Apache, AS-532 Cougar and NH-90 Puma helicopters, and MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aerial systems.

The task force's mission was to execute air-ground operations in Kuwait, Iraq, the Eastern Syria Security Area, Jordan and Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Spartan Shield to sustain the military defeat of Daesh, enable growth and capability of partnered forces and deter hostile actors in the region.

The two Army National Guard battalions in the task force were 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion) and the 640th Aviation Support Battalion. The active-duty Armys Task Force Wolfpack, 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, fell under Task Force Phoenix until October when it swapped out with Task Force Attack, 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment. Task Force Toro, from Spain, and Task Force Griffon, from Italy, were under Task Force Phoenixs tactical control.

"It has been the greatest honor of my military career to have served here with you on this great team of teams," Gronewold said in a speech during the ceremony.

His Soldiers faced numerous challenges over the course of the deployment, including responsibility for a massive operational area over five countries in two theaters, extremely high desert temperatures, a two-week sandstorm, and enemy mortar, rocket and unmanned aerial system attacks.

"But you and your Soldiers persevered and overcame every obstacle in your way," Gronewold said. "Your accomplishments have been huge."

Those accomplishments included flying 13,500 manned flight hours, safely delivering 16,300 passengers, moving 2.8 million pounds of cargo, conducting 208 MEDEVAC missions and flying 14,000 unmanned flight hours. The brigades Soldiers fueled aircraft, delivered millions of pounds of cargo by ground, conducted aircraft maintenance to keep the fleet flying, as well as numerous other tasks required of a combat aviation brigade of 1,700 Soldiers.

Gronewold thanked his Soldiers for enhancing the reputation of the unit by their actions over the deployment. He thanked them and their families for the sacrifices they have made over the past year.

"As you head back home, hold your heads high with pride for what you have accomplished, he said. Well done. Phoenix! On fire!

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Mission complete. Task Force Phoenix heads home after 9-month mission in the Middle East - United States Army