CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait – The Hawaii-based 1st Squadron, 299th Cavalry Regiment transferred authority of their area of operation to the Minnesota-based 1st Battalion, 151st Field Artillery Regt. Aug. 8 in Camp Buehring, Kuwait.
Outgoing commander, Lt. Col. Rudolph Ligsay handed over command to Lt. Col. Scott St. Sauver.
In both the outgoing and incoming commanders’ speeches, they used the Hawaiian phrase ‘aloha,’ which means both hello and goodbye in Hawaiian. The salutation’s dual meaning had significance in the Hawaiian unit saying goodbye to the incoming unit and to Camp Buehring and had significance in the Minnesotan unit saying goodbye to their Hawaiian counterparts and hello to their new base.
The Hawaii-based unit mobilized Aug. 19, 2008 and trained in Ft. Hood, Texas. They then deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in support of the war efforts. Much of the mission for the unit revolved around convoy security escort from Kuwait into Iraq.
The Minnesota-based unit also trained in Ft. Hood, Texas after mobilizing in April 2009. On July 1, the battalion arrived at Camp Buehring to assume convoy security operations and learn the tactics, techniques and procedures of the Hawaii Squadron.
“It looks like we’ll be going as far north as TQ (Al Taqaddum) on our convoys,” said Staff Sgt. Jill Wirtzfeld. Al Taqaddum Airbase is an airbase located in central Iraq, nearly 50 miles west of Baghdad.
