Photo By Staff Sgt. Zoe Morris | The 620th Signal Company’s flag is set up as the backdrop for the color casing...... read more read more
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The West Virginia Army National Guard’s 620th Signal Company held a color casing ceremony Aug. 5, 2018, at the Hershel “Woody” Williams Armed Forces Reserve Center in Fairmont, West Virginia, to mark the company’s deactivation after nine years of providing enhanced Warfighter Information Network-Tactical capabilities to missions around the state and the world.
771st Troop Command Battalion commander, Lt. Col. James Bowen, and Command Sgt. Maj. Earl Layton performed the historical ceremony in which the battalion commander secures the guidon, allowing the command sergeant major to furl, or “case the colors,” in a protective sheath. It is the sacred honor of the command sergeant major to protect the colors from harm or disrespect.
Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, the Adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard, highlighted the many accomplishments of the unit during their history of service to the State and discussed the important role many of these Soldiers would take on as they transition into new endeavors with the Guard.
The 620th Signal Company, which was established Nov. 9th, 2009, in Weston, West Virginia, has a short, but proud history. The unit served as an asset of the 771st Troop Command Battalion. The battalion called upon the unit for many missions, including providing the CERFP with Joint Incident Site Communications Capability (JISCC) during the 2013 Presidential Inauguration and the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C.; providing tactical internet and radio retransmission capabilities to two National Boy Scout Jamborees; assisting the 111th Engineer Brigade during its War Fighter Exercise at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 2016; participating in the Cyber Guard 2016 exercise in Suffolk, Virginia; providing voice and data communications and video-capable drones for emergency management personnel deployed in support of Operation Summer Rain in 2016; and conducting assessments of Combat Net Radio and Blue Force Tracker system readiness at armories all over West Virginia.
While signal support is what the company is most known for, its Soldiers hold their own outside of the signal realm, winning the 111th Engineer Brigade’s Warrior Challenge Competition at Camp Dawson in 2013.
The 620th Signal Company also served as an operational asset of the Georgia Army National Guard’s 648th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade and supported its pre-War Fighter Exercise at Fort Benning, Georgia; Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise at Camp Casey, Korea; and Vigilant Guard disaster response exercise at Fort Stewart, Georgia.
After the deactivation of the 620th Signal Company, the unit’s spirit and can-do attitude will live on as its soldiers focus on new challenges for the West Virginia Army National Guard. Many have transitioned to support the cyber initiative in the state, and have recently graduated from the University of Charleston’s Cyber Boot Camp in June of this year. Others will bring their signal expertise to units across the state.
| Date Taken: | 08.07.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 08.07.2018 10:45 |
| Story ID: | 287604 |
| Location: | FAIRMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 130 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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