28th INFANTRY DIVISION HQ PREPARES FOR MOBILIZATION

Photo By Master Sgt. Doug Roles | A soldier with 28th Infantry Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion moves through a training lane at Fort Indiantown Gap Oct. 24, 2017.  

HARRISBURG, PA, UNITED STATES

10.25.2017

Story by Maj. Keith Hickox 

28th Infantry Division

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Approximately 500 Soldiers assigned to the 28th Infantry Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, Pennsylvania National Guard are scheduled to mobilize and deploy to the Middle East in early 2018. The unit is based in Harrisburg but Soldiers live all over the commonwealth, with some residing in neighboring states. The unit has spent the past year planning and training in anticipation of this mission.
Most soldiers were notified of this deployment prior to the official release to allow their families and employers the maximum amount of time to prepare.
“The 28th Infantry Division is aware of the strain and sacrifice families endure when their loved ones deploy,” said 28th Infantry Division Commander Maj. Gen. Andrew P. Schafer Jr. “Every measure is taken to help make the process as predictable as possible to allow Soldiers and families to plan for deployment.”
The 28th Infantry Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion will be the third National Guard unit to provide mission command for several thousand troops supporting Operation Spartan Shield (OSS). This OSS mission includes units conducting theater security cooperative activities and partnership operations in several countries throughout the Middle East. The headquarters will be part of the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. Additionally, the headquarters will conduct battle staff training directly with partner nation military units to further increase interoperability of U.S. military units and allied military units operating in the region.
Established in 1879, the 28th Infantry Division is the oldest division in the U.S. Army. The last time the entire division headquarters mobilized was in preparation for the Korean Conflict however, elements of the headquarters were deployed in 2002 and 2003 to lead the NATO peacekeeping missions in Kosovo and Bosnia. Although many members have previously deployed with other units in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, this is the headquarters’ first deployment to the Middle East.
Media contact:
Lt. Col. Keith Hickox, 570-510-7474

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• Date Taken: 10.25.2017
• Date Posted: 10.25.2017 10:57
• Story ID: 252921
• Location: HARRISBURG, PA, US