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OKMULGEE, Okla. – Family and friends gathered with more than 100 Soldiers from Alpha Company, 777th Aviation Support Battalion (ASB), 90th Troop Command, Oklahoma Army National Guard, for a departure ceremony held at the Muscogee (Creek) Claude Cox Omniplex in Okmulgee, Oklahoma.
The ASB will deploy to the Middle East later this summer to provide support for aviation operations, where they will deploy with the capability to conduct aviation refueling operations, transportation and warehouse facilities operations, as well as distributing ammunition.
“At the heart of our Nation’s defense stands the citizen Soldier,” said Col. John Zenker, commander of 90th Troop Command. “Today these citizen Soldiers continue writing the next chapter in Oklahoma Army National Guard’s proud story.”
The unit’s last few weeks were spent conducting their pre-mobilization training (PMT) at Camp Gruber, Oklahoma, where the training was designed to sharpen combat and survival skills prior to deployment.
“We did Combat Life Saver, all your first-aid tasks, we did move-shoot-communicate drills; basically all the common tasks that every Soldier needs to know,” said 1st Lt. Josh Hamilton, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, ASB's commanding officer.
With a large portion of the unit having never deployed before, these common tasks ensure Soldiers are adaptable and prepared for the changing situations a deployment brings and builds a strong base for the unit’s leadership and Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO) to build upon.
“I’ve got really strong leadership,” Hamilton said. “My NCO Leadership is great; they really stepped up during PMT and started handling business. We’re good to go.”
The ASB will complete additional specialized training at Fort Hood, Texas, before heading overseas later this summer.
| Date Taken: | 06.11.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 06.17.2016 20:32 |
| Story ID: | 201068 |
| Location: | OKMULGEE, OK, US |
| Hometown: | BROKEN ARROW, OK, US |
| Hometown: | MIDWEST CITY, OK, US |
| Hometown: | MUSTANG, OK, US |
| Web Views: | 30 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Oklahoma Aviation Support Battalion deploys to the Middle East, by SSG Eric McDonough, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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