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Soldiers

42nd Infantry Division Prepares for Deployment to Guantanamo Bay

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The 42nd Infantry Division, part of the New York National Guard, has been training in sub-zero temperatures and two-foot high snow drifts at the Camp Smith Training Site in preparation for their deployment to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The team of 56 soldiers will staff the personnel, operations, logistics, and signals sections of Joint Task Force Guantanamo, which oversees detainee operations at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. The training builds a team and "is also building confidence in individuals" as they learn new skills, according to Lt. Col. Todd Bookless.

Key Takeaways:

  • The 42nd Infantry Division has a long history of deploying to significant events, including World War I and II, and the 2004 and 2005 deployment to Iraq.
  • The division has a unique nickname, the "Rainbow Division," given to it during World War I for its diverse composition of soldiers from 26 states.
  • The soldiers will be leaving their "battle rattle" at home in the armory, as they will be working on administrative tasks, miles from Afghanistan or Iraq.
  • The training includes activities such as land navigation, practice grenade throwing, convoy operations, and hand-to-hand combat skills.
  • Staff Sgt. Robert Jayne emphasized the importance of team building and being better prepared for any mission, saying "If the Gitmo team can accomplish extreme weather training for a tropic deployment then we are better prepared to take on any mission."
  • Capt. Bryan Hoffman praised the team's performance, saying "Everyone has done an excellent job" despite the subzero conditions.
  • The soldiers will also have opportunities to take leave and work regular hours, a departure from their usual deployments to combat zones.
  • The 42nd Infantry Division has training oversight of several National Guard brigades in the Northeast region.

Statistics:

  • The 42nd Infantry Division requires all deploying soldiers to undergo basic combat refresher training, regardless of the nature of their mission.
  • The division has a headquarters unit that exercises mission command over three to five brigade elements of 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers.
  • The training team, made up of enlisted soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and officers, will be responsible for staffing the personnel, operations, logistics, and signals sections of Joint Task Force Guantanamo.
  • The soldiers will have a unique opportunity to work alongside Air Force, Navy, and Marine personnel during their deployment.

Sources:

  • U.S. Army-Americas
  • New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs
  • Sgt. 1st Class Steven Petibone (contribution to the story)
  • Lt. Col. Todd Bookless, officer-in-charge of the detachment
  • Staff Sgt. Robert Jayne, combat engineer from Binghamton, New York
  • Capt. Bryan Hoffman, from Ronkonkoma, New York
  • 1st Lt. Yvette Valle, Buffalo resident and Buffalo resident who has already deployed twice
  • Brig. Gen. James Lettko, since retired, served as deputy commander of Joint Task Force Guantanamo in 2011-2012
  • 106th Civil Engineering Squadron, New York Air National Guard's

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