CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. — About 200 Indiana National Guard soldiers said goodbye to family and friends Tuesday at Camp Atterbury as they head to the Middle East for an international peacekeeping mission.
The soldiers are with the 38th Infantry Division's 1st Squadron, 152nd Cavalry Regiment, known as the "Ghostriders," headquartered in New Albany. The soldiers will be led by Lt. Col. David J. Richards of Fishers and Command Sgt. Maj. Larry Kuhn of Cambridge City, the Guard said.
"I appreciate your support, as do the soldiers seated in front of us," Richards said in a speech during Tuesday's ceremony. "Ghostriders, don't take that support lightly. Let's make sure we let our support network know that we appreciate them as much as they appreciate you. You have a nation, you have a state behind you right now."
The soldiers will be mobilized to the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt for 11 months. According to the Guard, their mission will supervise the implementation of the security provisions of the Egyptian-Israeli Treaty of Peace.
Though they have been preparing for more than a year, they have one more training exercise at Fort Bliss, Texas before they are deployed overseas. In the Middle East, the soldiers will work alongside service members from 12 other countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom.