Published: Thursday, July 12, 2012 at 3:15 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, July 13, 2012 at 1:26 a.m.
Community send-off ceremonies are planned this Saturday for S.C. Army National Guard troops from units in Cherokee and Union counties leaving for a 12-month deployment in Kosovo.
About 150 soldiers are leaving from the Company B 1-118th Combined Arms Battalion based in Gaffney. The company will serve as grand marshals in the S.C. Peach Festival parade at 10 a.m. A community send-off is planned for noon in front of the Gaffney Fire Department. The parade will go through downtown Gaffney.
The city of Gaffney has sponsored similar community send-offs and welcome home ceremonies for soldiers in the Gaffney unit, including previous deployments to Kosovo and Afghanistan, said LeighAnn Snuggs, director of the Gaffney Visitors Center.
Mayor Henry Jolly said city officials will present the unit with a city flag.
?This is the very least we can do to honor these young men who are going overseas ? for them to know that while they?re gone, we?ll be thinking and praying for them and their families,? Jolly said, adding he expects a large turnout Saturday.
About 136 soldiers from the Headquarters and Headquarters Company 1-118th Combined Arms Battalion, Company C 1-118th Combined Arms Battalion and Company D 1-118th Combined Arms Battalion will have their community send-off ceremony at Union County High School at 1 p.m.
Capt. Ben Thornton, B Company commander, said soldiers are honored to serve as parade grand marshals and are hoping for a good turnout to wish them well on their peace enforcing operations in Kosovo.
The Union and Gaffney units were deployed to Kosovo in 2004, and Thornton said accolades from the community go a long way with the soldiers, who will be away from home for the next year.
?It?s a pretty amazing experience for the community to come together to see us off,? Thornton said. ?It makes us feel good to know that although we?ll miss our families, they?ll be well taken care of while we?re gone.?
About 500 S.C. National Guard soldiers will join troops from nine other states on the Kosovo mission. The S.C. Army National Guard will conduct 30 days of training at Camp Atterbury in Indiana, said Lt. Col. Jim St. Clair. Their mission is to provide command for Multinational Battle Group East, which conducts peace-keeping and transitional support.
Those duties, responsibilities and authority eventually will be transferred to the government of Kosovo.
Source: http://www.goupstate.com/article/20120712/articles/207131009
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