TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE — Soldiers from a Panama City-based Florida Army National Guard regiment will leave Bay County today, as they prepare to embark on a year-long overseas deployment.
Deploying members of the 1st Squadron, 153rd Cavalry Regiment will hold a departure ceremony today at 10:30 a.m. at one of Tyndall Air Force Base’s hangars. Following the ceremony, Guard members will fly from Tyndall to Fort Hood, Texas, for additional pre-deployment training before leaving for missions in Kuwait and Iraq.
National Guard spokeswoman Capt. Caitlin Brown said Wednesday today’sceremony likely would include remarks from different Guard leaders and community members, as well as time set aside for farewells between deploying soldiers and their families.
“They’re all different,” Brown said of the departure ceremonies.
The 153rd’s departure ceremony is one of several held in Florida this week from companies and battalions in the National Guard’s 53rd Infantry Combat Brigade Team.
The Florida National Guard is calling it its largest single-unit deployment since World War II, with almost 2,500 soldiers from the unit deploying to Iraq and Kuwait. The Department of Defense notified the Florida National Guard of the deployment in July 2009.
According to a National Guard release, the deploying soldiers will perform various security missions in Iraq and Kuwait, including convoy security for coalition forces entering and departing Iraq. Deploying soldiers from the unit trained for the mission at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center.
Ceremonies honoring the deploying Florida 53rd Infantry Combat Brigade National Guard members began Sunday in Sanford and will conclude Friday in Lakeland.
Source : http://www.newsherald.com/news/departs-80382-guard-national.html
Deploying members of the 1st Squadron, 153rd Cavalry Regiment will hold a departure ceremony today at 10:30 a.m. at one of Tyndall Air Force Base’s hangars. Following the ceremony, Guard members will fly from Tyndall to Fort Hood, Texas, for additional pre-deployment training before leaving for missions in Kuwait and Iraq.
National Guard spokeswoman Capt. Caitlin Brown said Wednesday today’sceremony likely would include remarks from different Guard leaders and community members, as well as time set aside for farewells between deploying soldiers and their families.
“They’re all different,” Brown said of the departure ceremonies.
The 153rd’s departure ceremony is one of several held in Florida this week from companies and battalions in the National Guard’s 53rd Infantry Combat Brigade Team.
The Florida National Guard is calling it its largest single-unit deployment since World War II, with almost 2,500 soldiers from the unit deploying to Iraq and Kuwait. The Department of Defense notified the Florida National Guard of the deployment in July 2009.
According to a National Guard release, the deploying soldiers will perform various security missions in Iraq and Kuwait, including convoy security for coalition forces entering and departing Iraq. Deploying soldiers from the unit trained for the mission at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center.
Ceremonies honoring the deploying Florida 53rd Infantry Combat Brigade National Guard members began Sunday in Sanford and will conclude Friday in Lakeland.
Source : http://www.newsherald.com/news/departs-80382-guard-national.html
No comments:
Post a Comment