Photo By 1st Lt. James Lanza | Task Force Apollo commander Lt. Col. Jeffery Strickle and Command Sgt. Maj. Robert...... read more read more
Families and friends of Soldiers from the 164th Air Defense Artillery Brigade’s Task Force Apollo came together Saturday, March 31st to bid their loved ones farewell ahead of their mobilization to the National Capital Region. The task force will be joined by other units from around the country, specializing in air defense artillery, as part of a year-long mission to defend the airspace surrounding the Nation’s capital.
Army Lt. Col. Jeffery Strickle, commander of Task Force Apollo, was quick to point out the importance of the mission which the men and women of the task force volunteered and trained for.
“Today we embark upon our country’s most important air defense mission, and that is the protection of the pillars of our democracy. We are the last line of defense of what our country so boldly represents: freedom,” said Strickle.
The mission is a unique experience for members of the task force, some of whom were still in primary school when National Guardsmen from across the country were called upon to protect the capital during a nervous time in American history in the wake of the Sept. 11th attacks.
“Most of us can recall what we were doing on that morning of September 11, 2001. The first reports I saw showed a plane hitting one of the twin towers and I thought, ‘what a horrible accident,’ and then maybe 15 minutes later there was a second impact and I knew before anybody had to say anything, the United States of America was under attack. Planes commandeered by terrorists were on the loose around America; you can remember the panic,” said Strickle.
This nightmare scenario is one which soldiers of the task force have spent months training for in the period leading up to their mobilization. As Lt. Col. Strickle noted when speaking to the task force, “I’ve witnessed your professionalism. You have studied and trained hard, you’ve endured countless rehearsals and you have mastered your craft. Now it is time to execute.”
For some members of the task force, this departure marked their first major mobilization, and offered a unique opportunity for further growth and development as Soldiers.
“I’m certainly looking forward to getting a different vantage point of ADA in action, since all I’m familiar with is what I’ve learned from training environments,” said Chief Warrant Officer 1 Rebecca Deen, the task force’s human resource technician, about her first mobilization. “These kinds of deployments are very mission focused, so I’m excited for the opportunity to be laser-focused on my craft.”
As the soldiers said their final farewells, dozens of family members could be seen throughout the area waving American flags, taking photos with their loved ones and meeting the men and women their soldiers would spend the next year with.
“Leaving is always challenging, but my parents have always been very supportive throughout my military career,” said Sgt. Daven Jones, a soldier with Task Force Apollo. “It helps that they understand the role we’re playing out there, and the importance of our mission for the entire country.”
| Date Taken: | 04.04.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 04.12.2018 10:49 |
| Story ID: | 272792 |
| Location: | ORLANDO, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 186 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Task Force Apollo Departs for NCR, by 1LT James Lanza, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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