CSM Beyard Prepares for End of Tour in Kuwait

Director Thomas Beyard departed for a 400-day rotation with the Maryland Army National Guard late last summer.

Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Beyard enlisted in U.S. Army Reserve (USAR) in 1982 and joined the 357th Transportation Company (AVIM) in Greencastle, Pennsylvania. In 1997 he enlisted in the Army National Guard.

When he's not serving our country as a soldier, he's serving the city of Westminster. He has worked for the city of Westminster for close to 24 years.

Until his return, his position is being filled by interim Director Steve Horn.

Beyard sends occasional correspondence to Patch and we will post his letters and photos as we receive them. Beyard said he expects to return home in August.

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Hi, I was reflecting last week on the accomplishments of the 29th Combat Aviation Brigade (29th CAB) since we mobilized last year.  My reflection occurred in the midst of our final few months of deployment. I could not be more proud of our Soldiers. Working in a climate of constant change, our Soldiers overcame the challenges and persevered. More importantly, our Soldiers pushed the envelope, worked outside of their comfort zone and never looked back. I think I can say that we have the best trained aviation brigade in the U.S. Army.   

The 29th CAB trained hard for the most challenging mission that could ever be asked of a unit: deploy the entire brigade to Taji, Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn (OND), reach end of mission in OND in mid-December 2011 and simultaneously re-posture the entire brigade to Kuwait in preparation for new missions.  At the height of our deployment, the 29th CAB had command and control of over 3,000 Soldiers and 240 aircraft. The significance of the work of our Soldiers at the end of OND will be written about in the history books and become the subject of scholarly discussions.

Little did we know that our real work was about to begin. One of our units, Company B, 1-111th was re-missioned to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Consider this: on 18 December 2011, the Chinooks of Company B were the last aircraft to fly out of Iraq. Within 45 days, many of those same Chinooks and flight crews were in Afghanistan, in multiple locations, flying combat missions. This was no easy feat, as our maintainers had to rebuild bank time through phase maintenance and our movement personnel had to get the aircraft and Soldiers to Kandahar.  The collective efforts of our leaders and Soldiers made this major move possible.  Our great Soldiers are still flying support missions today.

After arriving at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, our command team was invited to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, near Kuwait City, to learn about our new ARCENT mission: Operation Spartan Shield (OSS). We listened and learned, and immediately began planning to execute the mission. Our AH-64D Apaches crews completed training and soon became the first Apache battalion in the U.S. Army to be fully qualified to land on the decks of Navy ships. We also made other changes that allowed us to project combat power over the Northern Arabian Gulf and provide additional flexibility to the ARCENT commander.  We did not “take a knee”, but to the contrary, we remain poised to execute a variety of missions.

The heart and soul of OSS is training and engagements. And train we did, both individual and collective. We worked with our infantry brothers on air assaults and related actions. We worked with the US Air Force on precision drops and teaming with our Apaches. And we worked on improving both crew and maintainer training to increase the readiness of our force.  We fired our weapons, performed physical training and did all the other things that successful military units do to keep their edge. 

We undertook engagements with our regional partners, which in some cases was a first. We continue to work with the militaries of Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, to improve working relationships and increase interoperability. Our work created the foundation for follow-on unit to emulate. This is important work, to build sustaining relationships with our allies in the region, as we prepare to leave Afghanistan in the coming years.

We are now preparing to receive our replacement unit. I will be making a few more trips to Afghanistan on our final battlefield circulation. We have Soldiers serving in both the north and south of that country. Our Soldiers in Afghanistan, as well as here in Kuwait, have done remarkable work. It is great to travel to see them and to share in their enthusiasm.  Our time is winding down, but we continue to keep our focus on the mission.

Let me say that our success is directly attributable to our Soldiers, and their Families, loved ones and friends who provide their love and support. I can’t thank them enough for what they have done. I am proud to be brigade CSM for the 29th CAB and I know I will never forget my time in this assignment and the time I spent together with our Soldiers. I have urged our Soldiers to continue their outstanding professionalism and to work together to make sure we all return safely home.

Regards, Tom

See other posts from CSM Beyard: