Approximately 375 soldiers with the Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 131st Aviation Regiment are at Fort Hood, Texas, for pre-deployment training before heading to Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn.
Although the unit is headquartered in Montgomery, Ala., other segments of the assault aviation group are located in Georgia and North Carolina.
Soldiers from both Hope Hull and Mobile, Ala., and Salisbury, N.C., are the majority of soldiers preparing for this deployment.
Here, 1-131 Aviation Regiment Soldiers arrive at the Fort Hood Rapid Field Issue point April 20. The issue of cold weather gear and other supplies is part of the in-processing before soldiers begin their training.