AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq – The 36th Combat Aviation Brigade (36th CAB), “Task Force Mustang,” 36th Infantry Division, Texas Army National Guard, assigned maintenance Soldiers from different units to develop cohesive teams for the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve mission, which currently spans across Iraq and Syria. These teams deliver an unparalleled group of expertise in aircraft maintenance, trusted by Army pilots for various flight missions conducted around the clock, 24/7.

One such team of aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs) is led by Sgt. 1st Class Joe Palacio, non-commissioned in-charge from Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment, General Support Aviation Battalion (2-149th GSAB), 36th CAB, responsible for all Army aircraft maintenance that occurs at Al Asad Air Base (AAAB).

“We all came together from different stations, and that is what made us better—the cohesion of everyone coming together,” remarked Palacio. “Everyone understood the situation and what was needed to be done to take on this mission.”

The maintenance team comprises Soldiers from across Task Force (TF) Mustang’s battalions: the 2-149th GSAB, known as “TF Roosevelt,” the 3rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation Regiment, Assault Helicopter Battalion (3-142nd AHB) from the New York Army National Guard, known as “TF Rough Riders,” the…