FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas - The 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (MEB), North Carolina National Guard, assigned to Joint Task Force- Southern Border (JTF-SB) in support of Operation Ardent Vanguard, gathered during an Army Heritage Day ceremony to honor the legacy of the U.S. Army.
Established on June 14, 1775, the Army is the oldest and largest branch of the U.S. military, with origins dating back to the Continental Army, led by George Washington during the fight for the nation's independence.
For decades, the 130th MEB has defended the homeland both stateside and abroad, participating in campaigns to include World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, along with responding to natural disasters, most recently being Hurricane Helene.
“Here in the North Carolina National Guard, our story reaches back even further to the Carolina Charter of 1663, when our earliest citizen-soldiers answered the call to defend their communities,” said U.S. Army Col. Robert Felicio, commander of the 130th MEB.
Today, the 130th MEB continues to answer the call. The unit is currently deployed to the U.S. southern border as a brigade headquarters commanding three Army battalions. These soldiers provide unique military capabilities and work alongside the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to enhance border security throughout the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) Del Rio, Laredo and Rio Grande Valley Sectors spanning Texas.
“Central to the Army’s history… our most fundamental mission is to defend the territorial integrity of the United States,” said U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Allen Pepin, commander of U.S. Army North (Fifth Army). “United States service members supporting JTF-SB are deployed across nearly 2,000 miles of the southern border. They are laying miles of concertina wire, executing patrols, flying aerial observation missions, and providing crucial logistics support.”
JTF-SB brings advanced military capabilities to the southern border mission including advanced observation and monitoring technology. Soldiers work in unity with DHS to secure the U.S. southern border. The capabilities the Department of War (DOW) provides enhance USBP agents' ability to carry out their mission across the border regions, resulting in greater situational awareness and faster response times to illegal crossings and illicit activity.
The DOW is committed to supporting DHS in securing our borders and denying transnational criminal organizations from exploiting vulnerabilities along the southern border.