600 Indiana National Guard troops will deploy to the Middle East
EDINBURGH, Ind. (WISH) — About 600 Indiana National Guard troops prepared Wednesday to deploy overseas to the Middle East.
A departure celebration at Camp Atterbury near Edinburgh was bittersweet and emotional. Some soldiers were excited. Some family members were teary-eyed.
Gerardo Sanchez said of his departure, “Excited. I’m ready to go. This is checking-the-box kinda thing.”
His sister Matzine Sanchez got emotional. “I’m very proud of him. I’m going to miss him a lot.”
Gerardo and other Indiana National Guard troops will train for a month in Texas and then head to the Middle East to support the Army’s Operation Spartan Shield . They’ll be placed in several key locations including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Their deployment will be about a year.
Griffey Nolder Sr. is being deployed for the first time. He cradled his 6-week-old son, Griffey Jr. “It’s hard being away from him but its good to help him out.”