EL GORAH, Egypt - For U.S. Army Soldiers stationed in Egypt’s southern Sinai Peninsula, Tuesday brought a mix of emotions as Task Force Sinai said farewell to Soldiers from Fort Hood’s 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment and welcomed Cavalrymen from the 4th Sqdn, 3rd Cav. Regt., during a Transfer of Authority Ceremony on South Camp, in Sharm el-Sheikh.
The 6-9 Cavalry Soldiers are returning home to their families after serving a nine-month deployment in support of the Multinational Force and Observers peacekeeping mission, while the newly minted MFO Soldiers are coming off several months of intense training.
“Over the past several months we have prepped, trained hard, and are ready,” said Lt. Col. Charles Moehlenbrock, commander 4th Sqdn, 3rd Cav. Regt. “It is an honor to be part of the MFO Mission and we look forward to serving alongside our brothers and sisters from other nations.”
Moehlenbrock and his Soldiers’ will be responsible for manning a number of remote out posts along the Sinai Peninsula and Red Sea. Their primary mission during their nine-month deployment will be to use their skills honed as Cavalry Scouts to observe and report compliance of the Camp David Accords Peace Treaty.
The MFO mission will be unique for many of the incoming Soldiers who have spent time in Iraq and Afghanistan in the sense that the MFO is an independent peacekeeping organization comprised of military members from 13 nations who do not participate or support in a combat capacity.
The Fort Hood Soldiers will work alongside service members from Australia, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Uruguay and the Republic of the Fiji Islands