ARLINGTON, Va., - About 600 Soldiers from the Oregon National Guard’s 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry, part of the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team, said good-bye to family and friends during a farewell ceremony at Eastern Oregon University in LaGrande, Ore., on Sept. 21.
After a two-month training period at Camp Shelby, Miss., the Oregon Guardsmen will join Soldiers from the Idaho and Montana Guard and deploy to Iraq for the second time in six years.
“We have an outstanding group, and I couldn’t ask for more,” said Army Lt. Col. Phillip Appleton, commander of the 3/116th. “We have some great [non-commissioned officers] and volunteer Soldiers from the 41st Brigade, who are great Soldiers and have been integrated well into our organization.
“All of the Soldiers, I think, are very much looking forward to the deployment.”
The unit will be deployed for about one year to Iraq, where they will conduct route-clearance, convoy support, and mission support roles as part of Operation New Dawn.
“I think that these Soldiers are the best of Oregon,” Gov. Ted Kulongoski said at the ceremony. “I want them all to come home safely, because this state will be a better place because of them.”
“The camaraderie that you find in the National Guard is something that I have always been proud of,” he said. “The men and women in this unit and their professionalism has given me a great personal belief in the strength of this country and this state.”
On their last deployment, 3rd Battalion deployed to Iraq in June of 2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and returned home in November 2005.
“It’s important that we support the Iraqi people, and their drive towards self-governance and establishment of a legitimate political body,” said Appleton. “We’ve played an important part of that, as we demonstrated our resolve in helping the Iraqi people, who were supported by the United States.”
During this deployment, Appleton said he hopes his Soldiers work well together and develop into great leaders as they encounter the challenges ahead.