INDIANAPOLIS – It was a familiar scene.
A formation of troops before their commander, preparing to depart for one of the many deployments tasked to the Indiana National Guard. An American flag of epic proportions formed the backdrop of the ceremony in which soldiers of the 38th Infantry Division bid adieu to home, families and friends.
“Today we are saying goodbye to 60 of our fellow Indiana soldiers as they depart for Guantanamo Bay Naval Station, Cuba,” said Maj. Gen. David C. Wood, commander of the 38th Infantry Division.
Wood the ad-hoc unit, with soldiers coming from the division and two of its subordinate brigades, was handpicked for this mission based upon their competence and professionalism and is fully trained for the task at hand.
“Their mission will be providing command and control oversight for the headquarters detachment for the detention center at Guantanamo Bay,” said Wood.
Despite the high visibility of this assignment, Wood stressed the importance of it.
“This is a strategically important mission, it is a sensitive mission, and it is under a microscope,” he said. “It is extremely important for the United States that everything is done right. The Pentagon could not have picked a finer group of soldiers to go to Guantanamo.”
Leading the troops is Lt. Col. Jefferson Arnold, who emphasized the myriad requirements facing the soldiers in preparation for the deployment.
“The citizen-soldier is rarely a pure civilian in peace. The defense of our nation calls upon the reserve forces to fulfill the many obligations we face around the globe,” said Arnold. “The demands on the force in a turbulent world require most of us to perform military duties each and every day, even though we only wear the uniform two days month or two weeks a year.”
The task force will finish their training at Fort Bliss, Texas prior to arriving in Cuba
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