The muscle behind the punch

Montana Army National Guard soldiers based in Kalispell are one step closer to setting foot in Afghanistan. Sixty-eight members of the 495th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion deployed in mid-May, bound for a mobilization station at Fort Hood, Texas. According to Maj. Christopher Lende, chief of public affairs for the Montana National Guard, they are expected to arrive in the country at the end of the month, where they will provide logistical support in central and northern Afghanistan.

“Since they are a Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, their mission can be to provide fuel and water, ammunition, vehicle recovery or any number of other actions to support the mission,” Lende explained. “The training they have received in Montana and while at Fort Hood have best prepared them to supervise multiple complex contracts to support various logistical missions across nearly half of Afghanistan. Without proper logistical support, missions simply cannot happen. The 495th CSSB’s motto is ‘The muscle behind the punch.’”

The unit will be mobilized for one year in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in Afghanistan. The mission is part of the NATO-led effort following Operation Enduring Freedom. According to the Department of Defense, OFS is focused on “developing Afghan institutional capacity to enhance security and stability across Afghanistan.” This can take the form of training and advising Afghan forces along with conducting counterterrorism missions against any remnants of al-Qaida.

This is the third deployment for the 495th; the first was in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the second in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

“Once in theater, the unit will undergo an extremely complex transfer of authority between the existing unit and the 495th,” Lende said. “As for accomplishments, the unit recently completed a demanding accreditation from the First Army trainers at Fort Hood, Texas, and has already begun to develop a great working relationship with the units they will be working with when they arrive in Afghanistan.”

Reporter Mackenzie Reiss may be reached at 758-4433 or mreiss@dailyinterlake.com.