1-156 FA in world trade center operations

FA Journal, Jan, 2002 by Paul R. Conte

I was in my office on 11 September in Fishkill, New York, with a client when we both looked at the television in disbelief. A little more than three hours later, I received a call from my unit, the 1st Battalion, 156th Field Artillery (1-156 FA), New York Army National Guard (ARNG) Out of Kingston, which is direct support to the 27th Separate Infantry Brigade (Enhanced) (Light). I already had anticipated getting a call that day; it was just a matter of when.

In this article I recount the experiences and analyze requirements of two activations to support operations in New York after the September 11th terrorist attacks on the US. During the call up, I served as a joint logistical liaison officer at Fort Stewart AFB, 35 miles south of Kingston; then I moved to lower Manhattan as a logistics officer in support of security operations; and finally, I helped conduct security operations based out of Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn.

Activation Process. As I arrived at our armory, the battalion was implementing the measures necessary for force protection defense condition Charlie (DEFCON C). For the time being, we used 2[degrees]-ton and 5-ton trucks to block entrances until Jersey barriers could be installed. A guard at the front door checked IDs while another soldier ensured all signed in.

Soldiers conducted equipment checks and replaced any load-bearing equipment (LBE) that was missing. This was important because we had come off a Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) rotation at Fort Polk, Louisiana, on August 17th and didn't have enough time to recover all our equipment.

For the first hour or so, I reviewed the New York State Domestic Emergency Operations Standing Operating Procedures (DESOP) until we were assigned a mission. Most of the unit was anticipating a move to the financial district in lower Manhattan to help in recovery operations.

Stewart Air Force Base. During this activation, I relocated to Stewart Air Force Base to act as a logistical liaison officer between the Air National Guard (ANG) and the ARNG. This was the second time I acted in this capacity at Stewart AFB. The first was during Y2K Operations from December 1999 to January 2000.

Fortunately, most of the Air Force officers were the same ones I worked with more than a year ago, so the transition was smooth. Two captains and another major from our unit joined us as part of the Army liaison team at Stewart.

For the next week or so, we coordinated our efforts with the ANG, the State Emergency Management Office (SEMO) and the New York State Police to ensure National Guard units activated to move into Manhattan that staged at Stewart were properly fed, maintained, briefed and sent on their way. After 10 days, the NYARNG moved staging operations to Camp Smith in Peekskill (about 20 miles south of Stewart AFB). Those of us on the liaison team came off state active duty (SAD) and returned to our civilian jobs.

Lower Manhattan. On October 5th, our unit was activated again. This time the tour of duty was in lower Manhattan for 17 days. The mission was to take over the various security operations surrounding "ground zero": Battery Park, the Staten Island Ferry and the waterway. Once again, I was one of the logistics representatives, this time on the night shift.

Also activated with 1-156 FA were elements of the 427th Support Battalion out of Syracuse. By this time, we already had 1-156 FA personnel undergoing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) training for the mission of providing security at John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) and LaGuardia Airports. Other members of the unit were already on guard detail at various locations in the NYC area.

At the Kingston Armory, elements of 1-156 FA were undergoing pre-combat/pre-deployment checks. Officers and leaders were reviewing maps of lower Manhattan and the areas we would be responsible for. Fortunately, we already had the battalion S3 on the ground in Battery Park; he fed us information, allowing those of us at the armory to adjust our packing lists.

On the morning of October 6th, an advance party consisting of all our high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles (HMMWVs) departed to the intermediate staging area (ISB) at Camp Smith. About three hours later, the main body followed in chartered busses.

Once at Camp Smith, we went through a security check and were escorted to a parking area. Representatives of the 42d Infantry Division (Mechanized) (Headquartered in Troy) and the New York State Area Command (STARC) boarded the bus and gave us instructions.

Across the parking area was a building that was used for in processing. Inside, soldiers gave us an ID card holder for our ID cards to be hung around our necks for easy access. If an ID card was invalid, they had the facilities to produce a new one. Other personnel representatives checked our names and social security numbers to ensure we would be paid.

Once our ID cards and personnel information were validated, we went into a gymnasium that served as a briefing area. For the next hour, intelligence and legal representatives discussed the rules of engagement (ROE) and other pertinent issues. Most important were the restrictions on cameras and handling of debris. (This area was still considered a crime scene, and we were cautioned about respecting those who had perished.)