By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
More than 150 members of the Kentucky Army National Guard are headed to the Middle East in a year-long deployment in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
Hundreds of family members and friends joined Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton and Kentucky National Guard leadership in a departure ceremony at the Owensboro Convention Center to say farewell to the 206th Engineer Battalion, who will be headed to the US Central Command Area of Operations.
Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton meets with the soldiers during a departure ceremony at the Owensboro Convention Center. (Photo by KNC Staff Sgt. Benjamin Crane)
“I am extremely confident in the abilities of each Soldier to accomplish our mission,” said Lt. Col. Michael Lawson, commander of the 206th.
“We have worked hard over the last 20 months to prepare for this deployment and the dedication to mission accomplishment these Soldiers have shown is noteworthy.”
The mission of the 206th while deployed will be to manage construction and facilities maintenance projects focused on force protection across the region. “The soldiers of the 206th have participated in a rigorous training schedule in the lead up to our mission. I can confidently say we are ready for the task at hand,” said Capt. G. Robert Meachem Jr., Headquarters Company commander.
“We are well prepared to uphold the stellar reputation of the Kentucky Army National Guard.” Lawson added, “The work you have done to prepare yourselves and to prepare each other has made a great team. I look forward to serving with each one of you.”
The unit was last deployed in 2006 to Kuwait during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, the Kentucky National Guard has mobilized more than 18,000 Soldiers and Airmen in support of the Global War on Terror. Historically, the Kentucky National Guard, like other state National Guards, has been known under various names such as state militia or state guard, before adopting its current name in 1912.
It has the distinction of being one of the oldest military forces in the United States, as its history dates back to 1775, when Kentucky was known as Fincastle County, a part of western Virginia.
