National Guard Trains for Deployment in Africa

Blackhawk aircraft and aircrew in Tulsa provides our transportation to Fort Riley, Kansas.

They're members of the Guard's 1st Battalion, 244th Aviation Regiment, 90th Troop Command. This team will join a NATO-led Kosovo force regiment next year. But this year, on a brisk March morning, their mission is us, the media.

The 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment in Kansas nears completion of their pre-mobilization training to Africa.

“This training they're getting right now is really setting the foundation for their success as we go forward. Building blocks here, starting from the individual level up to the collective, collective level training.” says Lieutenant Colonel Brent Weece.

Lieutenant Colonel Weece commands the deploying troops on this peace-keeping mission to volatile areas in East Africa. 

The 45th Infantry Brigade, also known as the Thunderbirds, deployed three times in the last 12 years. During the combined joint task force mission in the Horn of Africa, the brigade will partner with other military branches from around the globe.

“The preparations that we've been doing out here will directly go to affect us in Africa. I'm going specifically with a mortar platoon, and we'll be there to provide support for the forces on ground.” says Sergeant Aspen Wilson.

This will be the first deployment for Sergeant Jackson Ridgeway, an Oklahoma City native and combat medic.

“Whenever you actually get to the premobilization process it really starts to kick in. It's exciting. You know, you got a little bit of nerves there. Especially, with it being the first appointment and everything. It's a great organization. It's done me nothing but good. It's helped me out, education wise, financially, all that good stuff. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always really wanted to do this kind of thing. I was just kind of getting that, you know, sense of something bigger than myself and I’ve always enjoyed helping people.” says Sergeant Ridgeway.

Mortar drills and troop formation exercises are conducted at Fort Riley, Kansas. Based on the size of Task Force Tomahawk and the timeframe required for this premobilization training, Fort Riley was best able to meet the resource requirements.

Sergeant Michael Hamilton from Guthrie, Oklahoma, is one of many deploying for the first time.  

“I’ve been wanting to be in the military since I was pretty young. As far as coming to mortar, I kind of went to the recruiter's office and said, ‘Hey, I want to do cool guy stuff.’ And they said, ‘You know what? Mortars are cool.’ So, I figured I’d give it a shot and here I am now, seven years later. It's a lot of structure. You can learn a lot about yourself that you didn't know before. It gets you in the mindset to want to work hard. You feel good about yourself at the end of the day after starting. Starting early in the morning before everyone else is awake and working up until night when everyone's going to bed. You feel really good about yourself at the end of the day, no matter how tired you are.” says Sergeant Hamilton. 

Veterans keep a sharp eye on the first timers.

“My first deployment, I didn't know what to expect. It was a pretty good deployment. We helped train the local forces out there and it's great to see our training being used to this day. For this second deployment, it’s a whole lot less nerves, more just trying to be in that leadership role and keeping the guys around me motivated.” says Sergeant Aspen Wilson.

Captain Katelyn Hartshorn from Chickasaw, Oklahoma supervises the mortar drills. She spoke on the importance and significance of this deployment for her. 

“The drills we're doing out here are preparing the mortar section for drills that for operations they're gonna have in the Horn of Africa. We will be at multiple sites throughout the Horn of Africa, three different countries.” says Captain Hartshorn.

Defending allies and U.S. interests in the region puts troops in direct conflict with terrorist organizations like Al-Shabab, headquartered in Somalia, one of the four countries that form the Horn of Africa. 

“They do what are called loom rounds, which will light up the sky and let you see. So, being able to do these drills fire rapidly or in succession on their command, we'll be able to prepare them here with the training to be able to execute in a timely mission to affect other operations.” says Captain Hartshorn.

In addition to providing security, soldiers will also offer humanitarian help to a region plagued by drought caused by climate change. 

“It is a family thing for me. I joined the Oklahoma National Guard straight out of college commission, and I wanted to follow my family's footsteps. My dad's currently serving the Navy, grandfather's Air Force, and I chose the National Guard so I could serve the local community,” says Captain Hartshorn.

80% of the deploying troops come from the state of Oklahoma. The potential conflict with terrorists and environmental challenges makes this training essential preparation for deployment.

“For the people back in Oklahoma, it's important that they know that there are soldiers still serving and they're serving overseas. Quite a bit of sacrifice for everything that they leave behind and just so proud that they raised their right hand to serve our nation,” says Lieutenant Colonel Brent Weece.

The 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment is expected to serve in East Africa for 12 months, but that's subject to change based on conditions on the ground.

“Oklahomans always answer the call when it comes in every time without fail and I couldn't be more proud of them.” says Lieutenant Colonel Brent Weece.