Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Mary Junell | Janet Bradbury reads a letter on behalf of United States Senator Tom Tillis during a...... read more read more
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Family, Service Members and community members gathered to honor the North Carolina National Guard’s (NCNG) 1-130th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion (1-130th ARB) and Det. 1 B Co. 638th Aviation Support Battalion during a deployment ceremony at the Hope Community Church, in Raleigh, North Carolina, April 17, 2018.
The unit’s almost 300 soldiers will serve as the aviation task force battalion headquarters in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel across Train, Advise and Assist Command - South (TAAC-S) in support of United States Forces and Afghan National Defense and Security Forces in order to enable conditions that lead to the stability and security of Afghanistan.
Command Sgt. Maj. J.P. Cole, the 1-130 ARB Command Sergeant Major, said he was both nervous and excited for the upcoming deployment which he will experience with his son, who is also deploying with the unit.
“I’m going with my son, so it will be a unique experience, probably my last big hoo-rah probably,” said Cole, who plans on retiring shortly after returning from this deployment. “What better way to graduate from the Guard than a deployment with your son.”
Colse said his Soldiers will use this time to learn from each other.
“I hope that the younger Soldiers can learn something and grow, I hope the older guys can be mentors to the younger guys, and I want to get them doing their jobs,” Cole said. “My whole goal is to get our guys trained, make sure they’re ready to go, get them there, and get them back safe.”
Several guest speakers wished the Soldiers well and thanked them and their families for their sacrifice during the ceremony including the NCNG Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Greg Lusk.
“The other important aspect of this team I’ve got to point out and I think we need to make note of this when ever we start talking about introducing our distinguished visitors, is there’s no visitors more distinguished than our families,” Lusk said. “I just can’t tell you more genuinely how vital you are to everything that you do.”
The deploying Soldiers will spend time training in Texas before moving on to their mission in Afghanistan.
| Date Taken: | 04.17.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 04.18.2018 10:37 |
| Story ID: | 273501 |
| Location: | RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 560 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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