Oregon Army National Guard Soldiers Mobilize For Middle East Deployment (Photo) -09/29/17

SALEM, Oregon -- The Oregon Army National Guard honored Citizen-Soldiers in a mobilization ceremony, Sept. 29, 2017, at the Anderson Readiness Center, in Salem, Oregon. A platoon of more than 20 Citizen-Soldiers with Detachment 3, G Company (Golf), 1st Battalion, 189th Aviation Regiment, are scheduled to deploy to the Middle East to assist with aerial medical evacuation support. The platoon will be joining their parent unit, the South Dakota Army National Guard's Company C, 1st Battalion, 189th Aviation Regiment, in the Middle East and will be deployed for approximately one year. These Soldiers are largely from the Willamette Valley area (Salem and Portland) and will be led by 1st Lt. Lindsay Whitcomb. Two thirds of Golf Company, 1-189th Aviation Battalion, already mobilized and deployed in January 2017 and are currently providing aerial medical evacuation support using Black Hawk helicopters. Golf Company, 1-189th Aviation Battalion, has a long tradition of answering the call to duty. The unit conducts medical evacuations (medevac), search and rescues, as well as wild land fire suppression operations utilizing HH-60M Blackhawk helicopters. The unit previously deployed to Bosnia for Operation Joint Forge 7, three times to the Middle East in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation New Dawn, to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and to Kosovo in support of Operation Joint Guardian. In attendance at the ceremony were Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read; Maj. Gen. Michael Stencel, Adjutant General, Oregon; and Col. Stephen Schmidt, commander of 82nd Brigade Troop Command; among other elected officials, community and military leaders. PHOTO CAPTIONS: 170929-Z-OT568-017: Oregon Army National Guard Soldiers with Detachment 3, G Company, 1st Battalion, 189th Aviation Regiment, stand in formation during a mobilization ceremony honoring their upcoming overseas deployment, Sept. 29, 2017, in Salem, Oregon. A platoon of more than 20 Soldiers is scheduled to deploy to the Middle East to assist with aerial medical evacuation support using Black Hawk helicopters. They will be joining their parent unit, the South Dakota Army National Guard's Company C, 1-189th Aviation Battalion, in the Middle East and will be deployed for approximately one year. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class April Davis, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs) 170929-Z-OT568-019: Oregon Army National Guard Soldiers with Detachment 3, G Company, 1st Battalion, 189th Aviation Regiment, stand in formation during a mobilization ceremony honoring their upcoming overseas deployment, Sept. 29, 2017, in Salem, Oregon. A platoon of more than 20 Soldiers is scheduled to deploy to the Middle East to assist with aerial medical evacuation support using Black Hawk helicopters. They will be joining their parent unit, the South Dakota Army National Guard's Company C, 1-189th Aviation Battalion, in the Middle East and will be deployed for approximately one year. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class April Davis, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs) 170929-Z-OT568-035: Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read greets Oregon Army National Guard Soldiers of Detachment 3, Company G, 1st Battalion, 189th Aviation Regiment, to wish them well on their overseas deployment during a mobilization ceremony, Sept. 29, 2017, in Salem, Oregon. A platoon of more than 20 Soldiers is scheduled to deploy to the Middle East to assist with aerial medical evacuation support using Black Hawk helicopters. They will be joining their parent unit, the South Dakota Army National Guard's Company C, 1-189th Aviation Battalion, in the Middle East and will be deployed for approximately one year. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class April Davis, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs) 170929-Z-OT568-036: State Representatives Paul Evans (left), Mark Meek (center) and Ron Noble greet Oregon Army National Guard Soldiers of Detachment 3, Company G, 1st Battalion, 189th Aviation Regiment, to wish them well on their overseas deployment during a mobilization ceremony, Sept. 29, 2017, in Salem, Oregon. A platoon of more than 20 Soldiers is scheduled to deploy to the Middle East to assist with aerial medical evacuation support using Black Hawk helicopters. They will be joining their parent unit, the South Dakota Army National Guard's Company C, 1-189th Aviation Battalion, in the Middle East and will be deployed for approximately one year. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class April Davis, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs) 170929-Z-OT568-038: State Senator Sara Gelser greets Oregon Army National Guard Soldiers of Detachment 3, Company G, 1st Battalion, 189th Aviation Regiment, to wish them well on their overseas deployment during a mobilization ceremony, Sept. 29, 2017, in Salem, Oregon. A platoon of more than 20 Soldiers is scheduled to deploy to the Middle East to assist with aerial medical evacuation support using Black Hawk helicopters. They will be joining their parent unit, the South Dakota Army National Guard's Company C, 1-189th Aviation Battalion, in the Middle East and will be deployed for approximately one year. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class April Davis, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs) 170929-Z-OT568-052: Oregon Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer-2 Cody Stupfel with Detachment 3, Company G, 1st Battalion, 189th Aviation Regiment, holds his daughter, Teagan, following his mobilization ceremony, Sept. 29, 2017, in Salem, Oregon. Stupfel is among more than 20 Citizen-Soldiers scheduled to deploy to the Middle East where they will provide aeromedical support throughout the Persian Gulf region using Black Hawk helicopters. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class April Davis, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)