RELEASED BY Maj. Katherine Headley PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER OFFICE: 515-252-4582 CELL: 515-971-6385

RELEASE: IMMEDIATE

CAMP DODGE JOHNSTON, IOWA February 5, 2021 10:00 A.M.

DAVENPORT GUARD UNIT TO DEPLOY, SEND-OFF CEREMONY SCHEDULED

Approximately 75 Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company and Company B, First of the 171st Aviation Regiment with the Iowa National Guard in Davenport, will deploy in support of Operation Spartan Shield in the U.S. Central Command area of operations. U.S. Central Command encompasses 27 countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, among others.

A modified community send-off ceremony will be held in Davenport on 12 Feb. at 2 p.m. Due to ongoing COVID-19 related public health concerns, the send-off ceremony is not open to the public. The ceremony will be live-streamed on the Iowa National Guard Facebook page @IowaNationalGuard.

Soldiers from three detachment units in the will also deploy alongside these Iowa National Guard Soldiers. The Minnesota National Guard is holding a virtual send-off ceremony for their Soldiers on 8 Feb. at 1 p.m.

The Iowa National Guard is experiencing an increase in deployments as many of its units come into their “mission year” as part of the U.S. Army’s current force generation cycle.

Their primary mission will be to conduct aviation sustainment operations such as refueling and maintenance in support of U.S. and coalition forces.

The unit was most recently activated into in 2016 and deployed to Afghanistan in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

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The First of the 171st Aviation Regiment will travel to their mobilization station in Ft. Hood, Texas, to complete final training and readiness checks before deploying overseas. The deployment is expected to last approximately one year.

* * * * * * * * * Media is encouraged to cover these events utilizing proper social distancing protocols.

The ceremony will be held at: Aviation Support Facility #3 9650 N HARRISON ST DAVENPORT, IA 52806-7338

Please contact 1st. Lt. Kevin Waldron at 515-252-4163 if you plan on covering the ceremony in person.

For questions concerning this release as well as additional information about the operations, training and activities of the Iowa Army and , please contact Maj. Katherine Headley, Iowa National Guard Public Affairs Officer by email at [email protected] or 515-252-4582 (office) or 515-971-6385 (cell).

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