JOHNSTON, Iowa—Deployment send-off ceremonies for several Iowa National Guard units deploying to carry on the Kosovo Force NATO mission have been scheduled throughout the month of September.
Due to ongoing COVID-19 related public health concerns, the send-off ceremonies are not open to the public. The ceremonies will be livestreamed via social media.
The first ceremony was held earlier this week for 37 Soldiers from Company D, 224th Brigade Engineer Battalion, and Headquarters Company, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, were honored at a formal ceremony at the Camp Dodge Freedom Center.
A Boone send-off ceremony will take place on Sunday morning, September 13th. Approximately 74 Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, will be honored at a formal ceremony starting at 8:00 a.m. at the Boone Readiness Center. The ceremony will be livestreamed on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/IowaNationalGuard
The bus route that will be used by the Iowa National Guard following the Sunday Send-off Ceremony in Boone. The public is welcome to gather along the route for the send-off.
Other send-off ceremonies on Sunday include Sioux City where approximately 95 Soldiers from Headquarters, 1st “Red Horse” Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, will be honored at a formal ceremony starting at 9:00 a.m. at the Sioux City Readiness Center. The ceremony will be livestreamed on Facebook @https://www.facebook.com/hht113cav/.
Also on Sunday in Johnston approximately 131 Soldiers from Troop B, 1st “Red Horse” Squadron, 113th Cavalry
Regiment, will be honored at a formal ceremony starting at 8:15 a.m. at the Camp Dodge
Freedom Center. The ceremony will be livestreamed on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/bushmastercav/
The following send-off ceremony will take place on September 23rd in Johnston when approximately 30 Soldiers from 671st Troop Command “Task Force Typhon,” will be honored at a formal ceremony starting at 3:00 p.m. at the Camp Dodge Freedom Center. The ceremony will be livestreamed on Facebook
@ https://www.facebook.com/IowaNationalGuard
This is the single largest Iowa National Guard mobilization in support of the KFOR mission since 2004. The 1-113th Calvary Regiment, headquartered in Sioux City, Iowa, with units in Le Mars and Johnston, will be deploying nearly half of its Soldiers to Kosovo.
The Iowa National Guard has already mobilized over 1,000 Soldiers and Airmen to support international operations this year. Additionally, nearly 200 service members continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the state. Despite the pandemic, these deploying Soldiers have continued to train and are ready to complete their missions.
Units will travel to their mobilization station in Ft. Bliss, Texas, to complete final training and readiness checks before deploying overseas. The deployment is expected to last approximately one year.
(contributed information, IA National Guard)
