Photo By Staff Sgt. Christopher Vann | Governor of Florida, Rick Scott, shares a laugh with an Airman from the 202nd RED...... read more read more
Subscribe
CAMP BLANDING, Fla.- As friends and family look on and Airmen stand at attention, the Florida Air National Guard’s 202nd Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineer (RED HORSE) squadron held their departure ceremony at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, March 5, 2016.
The 202nd is one of nine RED HORSE squadrons in the Air National Guard and is led by Air Force Col. Robert Niesen. The commander expressed his confidence in the Airmen and his appreciation for their sacrifice.
“It is especially gratifying to know that each and every one of you has willingly agreed to join in this endeavor,” said Niesen. “For all of you, it is an incredible thing that you are doing. It is wrought with the challenges of leaving family, friends and employers behind for an extended period. Please go forward with the peace of mind, knowing that we will take care of one another just as you, as good wingmen, will lookout for one another in the field.”
For some, this is their first deployment and a chance to put their new knowledge to work. For the more seasoned Airmen, this is an opportunity to expand and build on their experience. For all, it is a time to continue growing as a family and work together to achieve mission success.
“The 202nd has a proud history of service, which includes multiple state active duty mobilizations for hurricane response in Florida, as well as support for other states.” said Army Maj. Gen. Michael Calhoun, The Adjutant General of Florida. “I’m proud of each of you as you answer our nation’s call.”
Evident by the attendance of every commander that the unit has had since its inception, the 202nd has a heritage strong in leadership. The unit has maintained a high-level of readiness through training and deployments. They have been awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award on seven occasions, while members of their squadron have been awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal for their roles during Hurricane Andrew and Operation Fuertes Caminos.
Governor of Florida, Rick Scott, joined Calhoun as they delivered well wishes and spoke words of hope and encouragement to the departing Airmen.
“I want to thank you for what you do,” said Scott. “The freedom of this country is dependent on individuals like you. So thank you.”
The mission of the 202nd RED HORSE Squadron is to provide a highly mobile, rapidly deployable civil engineering force. The unit performs heavy damage repair and recovery of critical Air Force facilities following an enemy attack or natural disaster.
“CAN DO, WILL DO, HAVE DONE!”
| Date Taken: | 03.06.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 03.06.2016 08:46 |
| Story ID: | 191270 |
| Location: | STARKE, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 919 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, RED HORSE ready to ride, by SSG Christopher Vann, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT