Auburn Troops to Farewell Families this weekend

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Distinctive Unit Insignia of the 102nd MP Battalion

AUBURN, N.Y. (07/03/2014)(readMedia)-- Soldiers of the New York Army National Guard's 102nd Military Police Battalion say farewell to family and friends this weekend as the unit departs for training at Fort Bliss, Texas next week.

The Soldiers mobilize onto active duty July 4.

The detachment will deploy later this summer to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to provide command and control and administrative supervision of the nation's detention facility to provide safe and humane care and custody of those detainees brought under U.S. security from overseas operations.

They are expected to serve for a year on active duty, returning home to New York for the summer of 2015.

WHAT: Departure ceremony for Soldiers of the New York Army National Guard's 102nd Military Police Battalion Headquarters.

WHO: Detachment commander Lt. Col.John Studiner, Command Sgt. Maj. Ed Garris and approximately 50 Soldiers with an equal number of family members, guests and community supporters. Brig. Gen. Michael Swezey, commander of the New York Army National Guard's 53rd Troop Command, will also address the troops.

WHEN: Sunday, July 6, 2014 at 9 a.m.

WHERE: New York State Armory, 174 South Street, Auburn, N.Y. 13021.

Media Opportunity

Interview opportunities with family members and Soldiers as they separate for the unit's predeployment training and service at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. For access to the facility, news media should contact Capt. Joe Valentino at 315.224.6299 with their intent to arrive not later than 8:45 a.m.

The 102nd Military Police Battalion

The 102nd Military Police Battalion is the higher headquarters for the 222nd Military Police Company, which has elements in Auburn and Hornell, and is also responsible for Buffalo's 105th Military Police Company and the Utica-based 206th Military Police Company. The Headquarters Detachment handles the day-to-day activities and staff functions of the battalion, including administration, logistics and operations planning and supervision.

The 102nd Military Police Battalion was the lead element in the New York Army National Guard immediate response force deployed to Long Island as Superstorm Sandy hit the New York coast in 2012. The unit was on duty for almost a month assisting in emergency response missions on Long Island.

For two years the battalion also served as the command and control headquarters for a New York National Guard team of 350 Soldiers and Airmen trained to extract victims of a terrorist attack from a building destroyed with chemical, biological or radiological weapons, decontaminate them, and then provide medical treatment.

The battalion prepared this detachment of Military Police Soldiers to deploy to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to support Joint Task Force Guantanamo. The task force provides for the safety and security of detainees and JTF Guantanamo personnel as well as support of ongoing overseas contingency operations and support to law enforcement, war crimes investigations and the Office of Military Commissions.