News from New York State Division of Military & Naval Affairs

For more information contact: Richard Goldenberg, 518-786-4581

Freedom Salute Ceremony To Honor National Guard Embedded Training Team For Afghanistan Service

LATHAM, NY (10/03/2007; 1506)(readMedia)-- Members of the 27th Brigade Combat Team Afghan National Army Embedded Training Team celebrate their return from service overseas to train, mentor and develop Afghan army elements for Operation Enduring Freedom.

WHAT: Freedom Salute Awards Ceremony for members of the 27th Brigade Combat Team, Afghan National Army, Embedded Training Team

WHEN: 10 a.m. Saturday, October 6, 2007

WHERE: New York State Armory, Thompson Road, Syracuse (Note: Access through the Hancock Field Air National Guard Base Security Gate on Molloy Road.).

WHO: 10 National Guard Soldiers from the Capital Region, Central and Western New York plus family members, friends and military and civilian officials

UNIT BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

The 27th Brigade Afghan National Army Embedded Training Team is a specialized detachment of officers and enlisted Soldiers of the New York National Guard that was mobilized and deployed in 2006 to train, mentor and advise an infantry force of the Afghan National Army.

The unit was mobilized in February 2006 and completed nearly three months of training at Camp Shelby, MS before it was shipped into the combat theater and employed under the command of the Oregon National Guard’s 41st Brigade Combat Team as part of Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix V.

The unit arrived in Afghanistan in May 2006 and, in addition to living with and leading training for the Afghan forces, frequently engaged in combat operations along side them against attacking elements of the Taliban. During their time in the combat zone, members of the team encountered Improvised Explosive Devices, participated in raids to capture weapons caches, negotiated narrow mountain passages in uparmored humvees, exchanged fire with dug in enemy forces and rendered emergency first aid to wounded Afghan and U.S. personnel.

The team returned home in May 2007 and this ceremony is being held during the first drill period following the Soldiers release from active duty and reunion with family, friends and civilian employers. This is the first ETT from the New York National Guard to serve in Afghanistan. A second team is presently serving there now, and several more teams are slated for deployment in 2008 as part of the 27th Brigade Combat Team’s mission to Afghanistan for Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix VII.

FREEDOM SALUTE PROGRAM BACKGROUND:

In December 2003, National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C., launched the Freedom Salute Campaign nationwide as a way to recognize members of the Army National Guard for service during Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom and thank their spouses, children, and employers for the support they have shown to their Soldier.

The Freedom Salute Campaign is one of the largest Army National Guard recognition endeavors in history. Each eligible soldier will receive an encased American flag, a lapel insignia, a commemorative coin and certificate of appreciation from the Army National Guard. The soldier’s spouse/significant other will receive a lapel insignia while Soldiers who are considered a center of influence with young people will be given a Future Soldier Footlocker Kit that includes the Daring Eagle board game, Mission Command card game, and Army National Guard trading cards.

Interested news organizations must contact the DMNA public affairs office ASAP at (518) 786-4581 for details and coordinating information. Please provide names of news media representatives that plan to attend prior to close of business on Friday, Oct. 5 for access to the military base. Working journalists need to show photo ID to gain admittance to the base.

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