678th Air Defense Artillery Brigade conducts uncasing ceremony

Photo By Capt. William Duvall | U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers of the 678th Air Defense Artillery Brigade (ADA BDE), South Carolina National Guard, held an Uncasing Ceremony, May 16, 2021, in Eastover, South Carolina. The 678th ADA BDE, Commanded by U.S. Army Col. Michael Gibson, returned to Eastover after their second deployment to the European theater where they provided tactical mission command of the 5-7 Air Defense Artillery Battalion (ADA BN) and the 5-4 air defense regiment and oversaw national assets, forward missile sites and was U.S. Army element assigned to the U.S. Air Force Europe’s Air Operations Center. (U.S. Army National Guard photos by Capt. Ed Duvall)  

EASTOVER, SC, UNITED STATES

05.17.2021

Story by Capt. William Duvall 

263rd Army Air Missile Defense Command

EASTOVER, S.C. - The 678th Air Defense Artillery (ADA) Brigade, South Carolina Army National Guard, held an uncasing of the colors ceremony in Eastover, South Carolina, May 16, 2021. The uncasing of the colors is a military tradition signifying the relocation of the command headquarters, in this case, with the unit’s return from deployment.

The 678th ADA Brigade deployed to Europe May 22, 2020, in support of the European Deterrence Initiative, setting conditions for mission accomplishment in the European-theater. The deployment was the unit’s second deployment of its kind since the post-cold war drawdown of U.S. Army forces in Europe. The brigade provided tactical mission command of the 5-7 ADA Battalion and the 5-4 ADA Regiment. The brigade oversaw strategic national assets, forward ballistic missile sites, and one U.S. Army element assigned to the U.S. Air Force Europe’s Air Operations Center. The command also saw the first integrated air picture between Polish and U.S. Air Defense Forces.

“We are really proud of all of you and all of your family members,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Timothy Sheriff, 263rd Army Air and Missile Defense Command (AAMDC) commander. “Everything we do is for our family and our country and without the support of our families, we would not have that fulfilling purpose in our lives.”

Sheriff also discussed the historical start of the deployment during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We were thinking, ‘how are we going to do this?’ We have to quarantine at home, quarantine at Fort Bliss, and quarantine in-theater once we get there,” said Sheriff. “If that is not a test of the Soldier - it was hard and you did it just like a great South Carolina Guard members…When you look back on the memories and we are all going to see what we went through, it was a unique time. You did your best as information was changing daily and you carried the flag forward.”

U.S. Army Col. Michael Gibson, 678th ADA Brigade commander, shared that the success of the mission was the effort of his phenomenal team.

“To my administrative section (S-1), they worked tirelessly to process daily paperwork, as well as the over 380 Permanent Changes of Station and Exceptions to Policy...The intelligence section (S-2) kept me apprised of not only real-world situations, but exercise threat assessments, while making it look seamless.” said Gibson. “In the operations section (S-3), they continually moved the brigade tactical operations center forward for Astral Knight 20 and Toburq Legacy 20, the largest NATO exercise increasing readiness and interoperability. The logistical section (S-4) provided support for all movements, exercises and real world operations and live-fire events with highly skilled coordination across multiple countries. The communications section (S-6) showed a truly team effort in the implementation, rehearsals, frequency management, network architecture, and oversight of operation, enabling the brigade to train at a higher level with Allies and Partners.”

While in theater, the 678th ADA Brigade worked subordinate to the 10th AAMDC, commanded by U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Greg Brady.

“All (10th AAMDC Soldiers) are true professionals and great supporters of the National Guard and the Mission Command Element mission,” stated Gibson. “The 5-7 ADA Battalion and the 5-4 ADA Regiment, along with our forward deployed missile defense batteries, were highly responsive professionals who are experts in their craft.”

Others in attendance of the ceremony included, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Van McCarty, the adjutant general for South Carolina, and U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Jeff Jones, deputy adjutant general for the South Carolina Military Department.

“Maj. Gen. McCarty and Brig. Gen. Jones, I know you are proud as you look across the formation to have your Soldiers home,” remarked Sheriff. “Thank you for your huge support for the 678th ADA Brigade.”

• Date Taken: 05.17.2021
• Date Posted: 05.17.2021 15:05
• Story ID: 396610
• Location: EASTOVER, SC, US