Hundreds of family members and friends gathered for a ceremony to send out 200 Nevada National Army Guard soldiers.
The 17th Sustainment Brigade, stationed in North Las Vegas, will spend a year assisting with military activities overseas.
“We were sourced for this mission towards the end of March, which is a little unusual for a deployment of this short duration, but when put under pressure, Nevada does an excellent job of coming to the table, always ready, always there, as is the National Guard motto,” said Lt. Col. Joseph Claros, Commander of the 17th Sustainment Brigade.
The troops will be in charge of managing supplies and providing support for everyday operations across the Middle East and portions of Asia.
“At the end of the day, we are the lifeblood that keeps soldiers able to do their job with food, fuel, you name it, that is our job,” Claros stated.
The North Las Vegas-based Brigade last deployed overseas in 2016.
During that mission, soldiers transported over $200 million in ammunition, distributed over 2 million water bottles, and handled more than 3 million pounds of mail.
This time, the brigade will be on a similar task, but many of the soldiers will be on their first deployment.
“The thing that keeps going through my head is the people I am going to miss, like my girlfriend, my sister, and my family; I imagine it’s going to be tough for me, and I imagine that it’s going to be tough for them,” a soldier from the 17th Sustainment Brigade told CNN.
“I am confident in my family’s ability to manage and care for everything during my absence, but I am certain that it will pose a significant challenge for both of us, particularly for her. A soldier from the 17th Sustainment Brigade also expressed his thoughts.
The soldiers will leave Nevada in the following days to continue their training before embarking on the year-long mission.
