Task Force Guardian, which includes more than 170 soldiers from the 381st and 387th Military Police companies, was honored at a departure ceremony at the 38th Division Armory in Indianapolis, January 5, 2012.
The soldiers are preparing to deploy to Afghanistan, where they will conduct security operations in an area near Bagram Airfield and mentor and train policemen in Afghanistan. They will serve in what is known as a police combined action team, which assists the Afghan police to become a self-sustaining force.
The task force is led by 1st Lt. Eric S. Holtzleiter, commander, and 1st Sgt. Scott D. MacGregor, top enlisted soldier.
“Unify, defend and mentor is the motto of this unit,” Holtzleiter said during the ceremony.
He explained the motto stands for unity as a combined force of units, defend as in the military police motto and mentoring the Afghan National Police.
Indiana Adjutant General Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger spoke at the event. He thanked the soldiers and their families.
“They couldn’t do it without your support and your sacrifice,” Umbarger said to the families. “Many of you may not wear the uniform, but you do serve. You serve in your own way.”
The task force will be conducting mobilization training at Fort Bliss, Texas, and will leave for Afghanistan when complete.