LANSING, MICH.-Friends and family will bid farewell to Michigan National Guard Soldiers from Muskegon, greater Grand Rapids and Lansing areas, Jackson, Battle Creek, Roscommon, Gaylord, and Detroit as they depart for Fort Riley, Kan., and then Afghanistan. The Soldiers are assigned to the 63rd Brigade based in Wyoming.

The light infantry battalion Soldiers will train for approximately 60 days at
Fort Riley before they deploy to Afghanistan where they will serve as
embedded training teams (ETT) with the Afghan National Army. The teams will train the Afghanis on tactics, military decision-making processes, counter-insurgency warfare, leadership, team work, communications, and urban combat. The Michigan National Guard ETT will bring a diverse background of combat arms management and organizational experience.

The deployment ceremony will held Sunday, Feb. 17 at 10 a.m., at the Grand Valley Armory, 1200 44th St. SW, Wyoming, Mich., 49509.

Today, nearly 1,500 Michigan National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are deployed across the globe in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom; however, as the Michigan Guard serves the nation abroad, more than 9,000 members remain, ready to respond to state emergencies.

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MEDIA ADVISORY:

Media is invited to attend. Family member will be available for interviews before or after the approximate one hour long ceremony.