Forty-six Rochester-based New York Army National Guard Soldiers who are deploying to Afghanistan were saluted during a farewell ceremony on Wednesday, Jan. 2 at the National Guard’s aviation support facility at Rochester International Airport.
Among the soldiers is Stephen Tschiderer of Mendon. The forty-six soldiers are assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 171st General Support Aviation Battalion. Company C, 1st battalion 171st General Support Aviation Battalion is a medical evacuation company which flies UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters which can be equipped with hoists and configured to carry stretchers in the cabin area.
The unit mission in Afghanistan will be to provide helicopter medical evacuation support to United States and Allied forces.
The unit will deploy to southern Afghanistan following a month of training at Fort Bliss, Texas. Helicopters which are normally based at Rochester International Airport will be flown to Fort Bliss and used for training. When the unit deploys they will use UH-60 medical evacuation helicopters which are already on the ground in Afghanistan.
In 2012/2013 43 members of the unit, then known as Company F 1st Battalion 169th General Support Aviation Battalion deployed to Afghanistan . Working alongside members of the Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and Missouri Army National Guard’s the Soldiers conducted 471 missions and transported 527 personnel in Helmand Province.
Earlier this year the unit based in Rochester deployed two helicopters and crews to the Carolinas in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in September 2018. The medical evacuation unit also responded to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Tropical Storm Irene and Lee in 2011 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
