Welcome the troops home to Hermiston
By Terry Murry on Friday, March 3rd, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
News release from the Oregon National Guard:
SALEM, Ore. – More than 75 Oregon Army National Guard Citizen-Soldiers, assigned to Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, along with maintenance support members from the 145th Brigade Support Battalion, are scheduled to conduct a formal demobilization ceremony on March 5, 2023, at the Hermiston Community Center, Oregon, at 10:00 a.m.
The Oregon Soldiers were combined with two Army National Guard Companies from the Montana Army National Guard’s 163rd Infantry Regiment, as part of TASK FORCE GRIZ, supporting the United States Central Command. In addition, service members from Idaho, Nevada, and Florida made up the total force supporting OPERATION SPARTAN SHIELD, strengthening defense relationships, and building partner nation abilities in the region.
These Citizen-Soldiers were initially mobilized on Nov. 4, 2021. Prior to their overseas deployment, the unit, under the command of Army National Guard Capt. Sean Popravak, first conducted additional specialized training at Fort Bliss, Texas, and departed for Qatar in early January 2022.
“Our mission was to be a mobile, armored reaction force to deter malign foreign influence and reassure allies within the Middle East of the United States’ continued commitment to the region,” said Popravak.
The 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team is headquartered in Idaho and consists of Soldiers from the four western states of Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Oregon. The unit is one of five armored brigade combat teams in the U.S. National Guard and one of 16 in the United States Army.
“While deployed, we participated in Eager Lion, a multinational military exercise involving 29 other partner nations in Jordan,” Popravak said, describing some of the highlights of the nearly yearlong mobilization. “It was an exciting and rewarding experience exchanging military expertise and improving interoperability among our forces through various training scenarios and live fire events.”
Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Reed and Maj. Gen. Michael Stencel, Adjutant General, Oregon, are scheduled to welcome home and serve as the presiding officials on behalf of Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, during their official welcome home ceremony.
The Hermiston Community Center is located at 415 S. Hwy. 395, in Hermiston, Oregon 97838. The ceremony is open to the media and community members who desire to welcome the unit service members home.
Photo of live fire prep in Jordan from ONG provided by a service member on the scene
