STEWART GUARD BASE – more
than 200 soldiers of the New York Army National Guard’s 369th Sustainment
Brigade, known as the “Harlem Hellfighters,” loaded C-130
aircraft and departed from Stewart Air National Guard Base on Wednesday
for Fort Carson, Colorado to participate in a large-scale battle simulation.
“The 369th’s Warfighter Exercise will be a great test for
the soldiers and staff of the unit and is the culmination of over 13 months
of training and preparation,” said Commander Col. David Martinez.
This capstone exercise is designed to train brigade headquarters and staff
to conduct its wartime mission, but when these service members return
they are also better prepared to support citizens during natural disasters,
such as snowstorms, floods or hurricanes, said Lt. Col. Suth Morgulas,
369th Special Troops Battalion commander.
“The 369th, the ‘Harlem Hellfighters,’ was deployed
during Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Irene. This trains us to operate
as a brigade headquarters for events that service our local communities,”
he said.
The 369th Sustainable Brigade Headquarters is based at the 5th Avenue
Armory in Harlem. The unit is temporarily occupying training facilities
at Camp Smith, near Peekskill, while their headquarters armory undergoes
major renovations.
