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NEWS | Aug. 19, 2019

West Virginia Army Guard Soldiers prepare for upcoming deployment to Middle East with 30th ABCT

By Maj. Holli Nelson West Virginia National Guard Public Affairs

It was a bittersweet atmosphere at the Charleston Coliseum and Civic Center Aug. 16, 2019, as family members, friends, leaders from both the West Virginia and North Carolina National Guard and Gov. Jim Justice bid farewell to the Soldiers of the 1st Squadron, 150th Cavalry Regiment during a Yellow Ribbon deployment event.

More than 500 Soldiers of the 1st Squadron, 150th Cavalry Regiment; 1st Battalion, 201st Field Artillery Regiment; and D Company, 230th Brigade Support Battalion will join the North Carolina National Guard’s 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) for a deployment to the Middle East in support of Operation Spartan Shield in the coming months. The 30th ABCT consists of 4,200 National Guard Soldiers from four states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia.

The West Virginia National Guard’s Commander-in-Chief, Gov. Jim Justice, thanked the Soldiers for their continued support to the State of West Virginia in times of need and also discussed the important role of taking care of families while their loved ones are deployed.

“This is an unbelievable group of men and women,” said Justice. “I cannot say enough about your bravery, your honor and your courage. I know just a portion of what your families feelings are - I know they’re worried, I know they’re concerned, and I know they love you. But I also know they’re really proud. We owe everything we have to you.”

This deployment, the third for members of the 1st Squadron, 150th Cavalry Regiment since 9/11, is a part of a regular rotation of forces in the region. Soldiers will carry out the mission of sustaining theater readiness to conduct unified land operations and will support partner nations in making the region safer.

The unit has been training for more than a year in preparation for this mobilization, which has included two large scale training exercises in Ft. Bliss, Texas, last year, and most recently, Ft. Irwin, California, in June.

Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, the Adjutant General of the WVNG, talked specifically of the sacrifices of military families and the inherent danger that service members sign up for when they join the military, whether deployed or not. He thanked the men and women who will soon depart to represent the West Virginia Guard on a global scale and reminded those in attendance of the importance of taking care of family members at home.

Maj. Gen. Gregory Lusk, North Carolina National Guard Adjutant General, imparted his words of wisdom on the troops in attendance stating, “If it were easy, they would have contracted someone else to do it.”

He continued, “I know your mission will be a little bit different this time around from previous deployments. Your mission is to go over there and prevent war. You are going to be on the forefront of preserving peace and stability in the region and therefore you have to be prepared for the entire spectrum of operations. I know that the 30th ABCT will not be successful without the significant contributions of the 1-150th Cavalry Regiment.”


Soldiers in attendance noted their readiness to accept their mission overseas and looked forward to gaining valuable experience in their military occupational specialties while serving their state and nation.

Up next for the deploying unit is follow-on training at Ft. Bliss, Texas, where they will ensure final preparations are in place before departing for the Middle East.

With this deployment of Soldiers, the WVNG will have more than 700 troops deployed in contingency locations around the world.

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