Tennessee Guard Unit Dons Storied "Screaming Eagle" Patch as Part of Army Pilot Program

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -  The Tennessee National Guard's 1176th Transportation Company in Smyrna, along with leaders of the 101st Sustainment Brigade, Fort Campbell, Kentucky,conducted a repatching ceremony on October 23 to signify their new relationship under an Army pilot program entitled "Associated Units." During the event, Soldiers of the 1176th removed their current patch, officially called a Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, and replaced it with the 101st Airborne Division SSI, often referred to as the "Screaming Eagle."

The Associated Units program, announced earlier this year by the Secretary of the Army, is a pilot program that establishes formal relationships between various units across the Active Army, Army Reserve, and the Army National Guard, allowing those units to train together before deployment. It currently includes a total of 27 units from all branches. Depending on the association, the higher commander assumes responsibility for unit training as well as manpower and equipment assessments. Under the program, some Army units will align with the higher command of a National
Guard unit.

"The great leadership that we have in our Army today came up with the idea, because we're at such low numbers, to integrate our units and make sure that we're ready on day one, not day sixty, or day seventy, or day eighty," said Maj. Gen. Max Haston, Tennessee's Adjutant General. Tennessee's 1176th will look to Col. Stanley Sliwinski, who commands the 101st Sustainment Brigade, for training guidance over the next three years. Known as the "LifeLiners," the mission of the 101st Sustainment Brigade is to provide combat service support to the 101st Airborne Division. Sliwinski will conduct an annual evaluation on the 1176th as well as exchange some personnel
during their 15 additional training days above and beyond the one weekend-per-month and two weeks of annual training.

"This is great for the Army moving forward, especially the Logistics Corp where eighty percent of the capability resides in the Reserve Component," said Sliwinski."With increased training days and the new relationship, we'll actually train together before a deployment instead of waiting until after the call comes."

The pilot program is scheduled to run 36 months in duration before being reassessed for potential expansion to other units.

 

Col. Stanley Sliwinski, Commander, 101st Sustainment Brigade, Fort Campbell, Kentucky places the shoulder sleeve insignia of the 101st Airborne Division, also known as the "Screaming Eagle", on the uniform of a Soldier in the Tennessee Army National Guard's 1176th Transportation Company during a ceremony on October 23, in Smyrna, Tenn.

 

Maj. Gen. Max Haston (at podium), Tennessee's Adjutant General delivers remarks during a re-patching ceremony as part of an Army pilot program entitled Associated Units on October 23, in Smyrna Tenn. Under program guidelines, the Tennessee Army National Guard's 1176th Transportation Company establishes a new relationship with the 101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky and dons the storied "Screaming Eagle" patch.