TOWN OF NEWBURGH – 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.
Guard members board for the long flight to Colorado
“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,” Morgulas said. “This trains us to operate as a brigade headquarters for events that service our local communities.”
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.
