The U.S. 7th Cavalry, which won a place in history in the American Indian wars under General George Armstrong Custer, has sent all its helicopter borne troops back home to Texas from Korea, U.S. officials said. The two Kiowa helicopter troop units in the 4th Squadron of the 7th Cavalry, the U.S. Army's most forward deployed heavy cavalry unit, departed for Fort Hood last November. Of a total 750 soldiers, 400 and all 16 OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters were shipped to aerial units in the United States.
Dubbed the "eyes and ears" of the 2nd Infantry Division near the inter-Korean border, the squadron provides aerial reconnaissance and ground security forces to guard against any North Korean aggression.
The deployment back home came as part of the squadron's transformation into a "super" modular brigade combat team as Washington pushes ahead with its plan to reduce U.S. troop numbers in Korea to around 24,500 by 2008. "This (deployment) happened because of the Army's transformation - this particular aircraft no longer is part of the heavy configuration that has characterized the 2nd Infantry Division," said Capt. Katrina Barnes, a public affairs officer at the 2nd Infantry Division. "As the division transforms... there are types of equipment that will no longer be needed."
The remaining 350 soldiers become an "Armored Reconnaissance Squadron," supporting the 1st Brigade Combat Team or "Iron Brigade Combat Team," under the 2nd Infantry Division. United States Forces Korea is transforming the brigade into a "super" fighting brigade to compensate for troop reductions. |