Photo By Sgt. Marcel Pugh | Army Spc. Kwele Jones, a Soldier with the 449th Theater Aviation Brigade, kisses his...... read more read more
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RALEIGH, N.C. – Soldiers of the North Carolina Army National Guard’s 449th Theater Aviation Brigade (449th TAB) and the 2-130th Airfield Operations Battalion (AOB) were honored during a deployment ceremony at the Hope Community Church, here, Thursday, September 28.
More than180 Soldiers and aviators from the 449th and 2-130th will deploy in support of Operation Spartan Shield and Operation Inherent Resolve in Kuwait and Iraq. The Soldiers are trained to conduct and oversee aviation operations, reconnaissance and security, air assault and air movement, attack and combat service support missions.
"I'm proud of our North Carolina Soldiers,” said Lt. Col. Joseph Bishop, commander of the 449th, which is headquartered in Morrisville, N.C. “They represent what's great about our community. They are citizens that stand up to the call without hesitation. This is why I know we can be successful, the genuine love of country and support to our community."
The unit’s last deployed in April 2009, to Iraq for the Multi-National Corps-Iraq Combat Aviation Brigade mission, with responsibility for all fixed- and rotary-wing aviation support of senior leadership, medical evacuation, and air movement supporting the staff and Soldiers from several commands.
Although every mission is different, the unit has been training for whatever challenges they may face.
"We're going to have a tough mission but one we're prepared for.” Bishop said. “It will take
everyone's effort to support our U.S. and coalition partners effectively. It's going to be a hard job, but we're up to the task.”
Prior to the start of the ceremony, crowds of students from Grace Christian school lined the street leading up to the church. They waved flags, held patriotic signs and cheered the soldiers outside as they arrived to the ceremony.
“I thought it was amazing, it was very overwhelming,” said Maj. Eric Juarez, the intelligence officer with the 449th TAB. “It was great interacting with them and I think it’s good for them to attend things like this so they can kind of see what it’s all about. It gives them a good baseline of where to start for future patriotism because nowadays it can be hard to do that with, you know, things that you see on the news.”
Like many Soldiers in the NCNG, Juarez looks at the Guardsmen he is deploying with like family.
“The troops that I’m deploying with, a lot of them are my best friends.” Juarez said. “We hangout on the weekends, our kids play with each other and we’re already a family. It’s tough to leave your family here but you have another family that you’re going with and we all take care of each other.”
Juarez’s mother and father who drove from Charlotte for the ceremony were both proud of their son and fellow soldiers.
“On behalf of the entire family I just want Maj. Juarez to know he is loved beyond measure,” said Rosanna Tsavdar, Juarez’s mother. “We are praying for him, we are praying for his speedy return and we are praying for everyone to come home safely, in the mean time we are going to stand proud of everything that their doing out there. We stand behind you and support you.”
The units will soon fly to Ft. Hood, Texas for more training before continuing on to their final destinations in support of Operation Spartan Shield and Operation Inherent Resolve in Kuwait and Iraq.
| Date Taken: | 09.28.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 10.02.2017 10:15 |
| Story ID: | 250245 |
| Location: | RALEIGH, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 115 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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