Photo By Staff Sgt. Michael Giles | Col. Ronald "Win" Burkett, the 36th Infantry Division's assistant division...... read more read more
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Leaders from the Texas National Guard’s 36th Infantry Division welcomed Cavalry Soldiers home as they arrived at Fort Bliss on Oct. 20, 2018, after completing a 9-month deployment in Egypt.
Col. Win Burkett, the assistant division commander-operations, and Chief Warrant Officer 5 Paul Jenschke, the division's command chief warrant officer, greeted Soldiers with smiles, words of thanks and encouragement, and enthusiastic handshakes, as they disembarked the jet that flew them the last leg of their journey home. The Soldiers, members of the 1st Squadron, 124th Cavalry Regiment, had deployed to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula to support the Multinational Force and Observer mission, responsible for maintaining the 1979 Treaty of Peace between Egypt and Israel.
“The mission was 100% a success,” said Sgt. 1st Class Don Salas, a platoon sergeant with the 1-124th. “They accomplished what they were there to do.”
“The assignment served as an opportunity for the Guard Soldiers to train as a deployed force while engaging in a strategically important mission,” Burkett said.
“The Squadron trained for a variety of steady state and contingency missions,” said Burkett. “If the situation in the required it, they would be ready to provide whatever tactical support was needed.”
Staff Sgt. Calvin Boston, an augmentee from the 2nd Battalion of the 142nd Infantry Regiment, who has deployed six times, emphasized the value of leaders taking the time to give them a gracious welcome home.
“It is important to have someone stand there and say, ‘we appreciate what you’ve done,’” Boston said. “Someone who wants to take pride in their unit wants their unit to take pride in them.”
Burkett expressed his pride in the cavalry Soldiers for not only their willingness to put their civilian lives on hold, but also for the high level of competence they demonstrated throughout the mobilization and deployment.
“To go execute a mission as a Guard Soldier and know you did a good job, there’s a lot of satisfaction in that,” Burkett said.
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| Date Taken: | 10.20.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 11.06.2018 15:43 |
| Story ID: | 298972 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 530 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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