CONTACT: Lt. Col. Richard Goldenberg, 518-786-4581

FOR RELEASE: Thursday, Apr 16, 2009

ON SITE: 2nd Lt. Mark Getman, 516-644-9743

WHO:

Army National Guard Citizen Soldiers from Jamaica and the Bronx.

WHAT:

NEWBURGH, NY (04/15/2009)-- Approximately 170 Soldiers from the New York Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery will deploy to Camp Blanding, Florida for an extended drill training weekend. Conduct deployment training for troop movement by three Air National Guard C-130 aircraft to Camp Blanding, Florida.

WHEN:

Soldiers will load aircraft approximately 10-11 a.m. on Thursday, April 16 for the four-day training exercise. Aircraft departure is anticipated at 11 a.m. and again at 12:30 p.m.

WHERE:

Stewart Airport, Second Aviation Flight Detachment, 1005 First Street, Building 203 Passenger Hangar, New Windsor, N.Y. 12553

Artillery Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery will conduct air movement on three Air National Guard C-130 aircraft to Camp Blanding, Florida for a four-day drill weekend. The Soldiers, from Battery B in the Bronx and Headquarters Battery and Company G, 427th Support Battalion from Jamaica will conduct an artillery live fire exercise to qualifty individual Soldiers and gun crews for their combat support mission. In addition, the artillery troops will practice air assault raids with the M-102 cannon system and the CH -47 helicopter. Other troops will conduct rappel training and the Leadership Reaction Course. The out-of-state training site provides an opportunity for Soldiers and junior leaders to conduct for deployments on military aircraft and conduct training in new terrain. The military airlift is provided by the Texas Air National Guard's 136th Airlift Wing and New York's 107th Airlift Wing. The 107th Airlift Wing, based in Niagara Falls, N.Y., recently converted to the C-130 transport aircraft. The troop movement is a training mission for the Air National Guard aircrews