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At a deployment ceremony on Wednesday, Delaware wished farewell to 20 more of its hometown heroes who are off to make a difference in Afghanistan.
Surrounded by family and friends, these 20 soldiers of the Delaware Army National Guard received a patriotic send-off at the Smyrna Readiness Center on Jan. 6, two days before their deployment to Afghanistan.
The soldiers are “embarking on a critical national security mission to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people in support of Operation Enduring Freedom,” said Maj. Gen. Francis Vavala, adjutant general for the Delaware Army National Guard.
The deployment ceremony represented two groups of soldiers with two distinct missions.
Eleven of the soldiers are part of an Embedded Training Team that will train and mentor Afghanistan’s police forces in order to facilitate a secure and stable environment within the troubled nation’s borders, said Vavala.
The other nine soldiers are part of the 160th Engineer Company MOB Augmentee Contingent, which will build, repair and maintain vertical infrastructure in Afghanistan.
Vavala described the departing troops as “hometown heroes.” He said the guardsmen are not part-time soldiers, but “full-time patriots, working overtime to support our freedom when our nation calls.”
“They are, like their predecessors, true volunteers,” Vavala said. “They are today’s modern minutemen.”
Gov. Jack Markell and Delaware’s entire Congressional delegation were on hand for the deployment ceremony.
“The most important thing any of us can do today is express our profound gratitude for what you’re doing, and our profound pride,” said Gov. Markell.
These deployments are becoming almost routine, “but we can’t take for granted your service,” he said. “These events, there’s nothing routine about them.”
Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) reminded the audience of the attempted terrorist attack on a plane bound for Detroit on Christmas Day.
“Our job is to crush terrorism wherever it rears its head,” Carper said.
Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-Del.) said he gets to do a lot of things as a U.S. senator, but “the greatest honor I get is being invited to these deployments.”
“You truly are our hometown heroes, as stated earlier here today,” said Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.).
Among the soldiers deployed to Afghanistan was Master Sgt. Mitch McKinney of Clayton, who is serving as part of the Embedded Training Team.
“This is an adventure of a lifetime,” said McKinney, a 1984 Smyrna High graduate.
In Afghanistan, the mission for McKinney’s unit is to help uplift the struggling Afghan police forces.
Regarding the task ahead, McKinney said he looks forward to “being part of change.”
“This has national implications,” he said. “It’s huge.”
“We’re here to serve.”
At a deployment ceremony on Wednesday, Delaware wished farewell to 20 more of its hometown heroes who are off to make a difference in Afghanistan.
Surrounded by family and friends, these 20 soldiers of the Delaware Army National Guard received a patriotic send-off at the Smyrna Readiness Center on Jan. 6, two days before their deployment to Afghanistan.
The soldiers are “embarking on a critical national security mission to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people in support of Operation Enduring Freedom,” said Maj. Gen. Francis Vavala, adjutant general for the Delaware Army National Guard.
The deployment ceremony represented two groups of soldiers with two distinct missions.
Eleven of the soldiers are part of an Embedded Training Team that will train and mentor Afghanistan’s police forces in order to facilitate a secure and stable environment within the troubled nation’s borders, said Vavala.
The other nine soldiers are part of the 160th Engineer Company MOB Augmentee Contingent, which will build, repair and maintain vertical infrastructure in Afghanistan.
Vavala described the departing troops as “hometown heroes.” He said the guardsmen are not part-time soldiers, but “full-time patriots, working overtime to support our freedom when our nation calls.”
“They are, like their predecessors, true volunteers,” Vavala said. “They are today’s modern minutemen.”
Gov. Jack Markell and Delaware’s entire Congressional delegation were on hand for the deployment ceremony.
“The most important thing any of us can do today is express our profound gratitude for what you’re doing, and our profound pride,” said Gov. Markell.
These deployments are becoming almost routine, “but we can’t take for granted your service,” he said. “These events, there’s nothing routine about them.”
Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) reminded the audience of the attempted terrorist attack on a plane bound for Detroit on Christmas Day.
“Our job is to crush terrorism wherever it rears its head,” Carper said.
Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-Del.) said he gets to do a lot of things as a U.S. senator, but “the greatest honor I get is being invited to these deployments.”
“You truly are our hometown heroes, as stated earlier here today,” said Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.).
Among the soldiers deployed to Afghanistan was Master Sgt. Mitch McKinney of Clayton, who is serving as part of the Embedded Training Team.
“This is an adventure of a lifetime,” said McKinney, a 1984 Smyrna High graduate.
In Afghanistan, the mission for McKinney’s unit is to help uplift the struggling Afghan police forces.
Regarding the task ahead, McKinney said he looks forward to “being part of change.”
“This has national implications,” he said. “It’s huge.”
“We’re here to serve.”
