Lt. Col. Fred Manzo, Jr. salutes his formation during Friday's casing ceremony. “This ceremony is about you,” he told troops." (T.D. Flack / S&S)
Lt. Col. Fred Manzo, Jr. salutes his formation during Friday's casing ceremony. “This ceremony is about you,” he told troops." (T.D. Flack / S&S)
Lt. Col. Fred Manzo Jr., right, holds the battalion colors as Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Johnston and Sgt. Maj. Tonia Walker conduct the ceremony. (T.D. Flack / S&S)
Lt. Col. Fred Manzo Jr., 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment commander, observes his formation during a casing ceremony Friday at K-16, Seoul Air Base. (T.D. Flack / S&S)
SEOUL — Friday was a bittersweet day for the 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment “Flying Dragons” as they “cased” their battalion colors, ending 33 years of service in South Korea.
Just weeks ago, 500 battalion soldiers and 33 UH-60 Black Hawks called K-16, Seoul Air Base, home. Only about 200 soldiers stood in formation Friday; many of their peers already had moved to Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
“It’s a new chapter in the future of this battalion,” said battalion commander Lt. Col. Fred Manzo Jr. “This battalion has embraced transformation.”
Half of the unit’s six companies will move to Wainwright to continue their mission with 1-52. The other companies will stay in South Korea and merge with 2nd Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment.
Col. David J. Abramowitz, 17th Aviation Brigade commander, said the ceremony meant positive things for the U.S.-South Korean alliance because the aviation transformation will bring with it a more efficient force.
“But it’s sad for me personally to see them go,” Abramowitz said.
He said the aviators headed for Alaska will take “great training and the 8th Army focus” with them to their new base.
Manzo told his troops, “I’m proud of each and every one of you,” for their work in South Korea, highlighting the countless hours flown on tasks from ferrying high-ranking visitors to running resupply missions along the Demilitarized Zone to conducting search-and-rescue missions over water.
“Wow, this is a special day for us,” he said. “This ceremony is about you.”
The battalion, originated as a Headquarters and Headquarters detachment during World War II, was officially designated the “Flying Dragons” in February 1967. It arrived in South Korea on Sept. 13, 1972.
Friday’s ceremony was part of the U.S. Army’s move to merge helicopter assets in South Korea into a single, all-purpose aviation unit designed to make it easier for commanders to manage helicopter forces and to mix them for short-term battle tasks.
The new unit, being introduced Armywide, is called a multifunctional aviation brigade, or MFAB. It includes all Army helicopter types except those designed for special-operations work.
The Army will establish its first South Korea-based MFAB in mid-June under the 8th U.S. Army.
The MFAB will make it easier for commanders to pull together the various aircraft types into a “unit of action,” tailored to the needs of a specific task, especially in battle, where fast action is crucial, Army aviators recently told Stars and Stripes.
It also will help commanders sort competing demands for aircraft and increase opportunities for helicopter units to train together, the aviators said.
Franklin Fisher contributed to this report.
