Army
New York Army National Guard soldiers prepare for 10-month deployment to Africa
Stars and Stripes
January 6, 2025
Soldiers assigned to the 152nd Engineer Support Company stand in formation during their farewell ceremony, Connecticut Street Armory, Buffalo, N.Y., Jan. 2, 2025. (Jason Carr/New York Army National Guard )
New York Army National Guard soldiers are preparing for a 10-month deployment to Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti. They will train at Fort Bliss, Texas, for four weeks before deploying to Africa.
One hundred and forty-five soldiers from the 152nd Engineer Support Company were sent off with a formal ceremony at the Connecticut Street Armory in Buffalo, N.Y., on Jan. 2.
“While overseas you are representing not just yourself, but our country as a whole and the New York Army National Guard,” said Maj. Gen. Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York. “Deploying as a unit is a team sport.”
Soldiers assigned to the 152nd Engineer Support Company stand in formation during their farewell ceremony, Connecticut Street Armory, Buffalo, N.Y., Jan. 2, 2025. (Jason Carr/New York Army National Guard )
Soldiers assigned to the 152nd Engineer Support Company stand in formation in front of friends and family during their farewell ceremony, Connecticut Street Armory, Buffalo, N.Y., Jan. 2, 2025. (Jason Carr/New York Army National Guard )
Soldiers assigned to the 152nd Engineer Support Company stand in formation during their farewell ceremony, Connecticut Street Armory, Buffalo, N.Y., Jan. 2, 2025. (Jason Carr/New York Army National Guard )
The Adjutant General of the New York National Guard Maj. Gen. Raymond F. Shields addresses Soldiers assigned to the 152nd Engineer Support Company during a farewell ceremony, Connecticut Street Armory, Buffalo, N.Y., Jan. 2, 2025. (Jason Carr/New York Army National Guard )
Soldiers assigned to the 152nd Engineer Support Company stand in formation in front of friends and family during a farewell ceremony held in the drill hall of Connecticut Street Armory, Buffalo, N.Y., Jan. 2, 2025. (Jason Carr/New York Army National Guard )
53rd Troop Command patch, the General Command Unit governing the 152nd Engineer Support Company during a farewell ceremony at Connecticut Street Armory, Buffalo, N.Y., Jan. 2 2025. (Jason Carr/New York Army National Guard )
The soldiers have been training for this mission for the past six months at Fort Drum, N.Y., and other training areas, according to Capt. Daniel Roche, the company commander. While deployed, the company will work on base security improvements and buildings related to soldier welfare and operations.
The soldiers are expected to return home in November.
“You are deploying as part of the greatest team our nation has: the U.S. Army,” Shields said.
Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa has a strength of about 2,000 personnel from across the U.S. military operates in Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Seychelles and Kenya.