Indiana National Guard soldiers from the 38th Infantry Division listen to remarks from Gov. Eric Holcomb during a departure ceremony Wednesday at Camp Atterbury.
Noah Crenshaw | Daily Journal
CAMP ATTERBURY — Their mission is critical: strengthen U.S. defense relationships and build partnerships in the Middle East.
Below a mid-September sun on a field at Camp Atterbury, the soon-to-be deployed Indiana Army National Guard soldiers were reminded of their mission by state officials Wednesday.
“To protect and to defend us and our way of life, this is something very few do,” said Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb. “Many, in fact, would be scared to go, when they learn the orders you’re in receipt of. They’re happy it’s you, not them.”
About 600 Indiana Army National Guard soldiers with the 38th Infantry Division are set to be deployed overseas to the Middle East in support of Operation Spartan Shield, a U.S. operation to strengthen defense relationships and build partner capacity through leader engagements, multinational exercises and response planning. They will train for about a month at Fort Cavasos, Texas, before leaving the country for nine months, National Guard officials said.
The departing soldiers, their families and friends, National Guard officials, representatives of federal elected officials, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and other state officials gathered at Camp Atterbury’s North Barracks Complex in southern Johnson County Wednesday afternoon for a departure ceremony to wish them well and give them the chance to say goodbye before they went overseas. Maj. Gen. Dan Degelow, the division’s commanding general, was also presented with an Indiana flag — previously flown on top of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis — by State Rep. Stephen Bartels, R-Eckerty, a retired National Guard major.
“The men and women assembled here today have answered the call to serve our state and nation,” Degelow said. “You warriors have trained for this important mission, you have given and continue to give of yourselves, and you stand ready for what lies ahead.”
“Without question, we have assembled a superb formation of soldiers for this mission,” Degelow later added.
The 38th Infantry Division is one of 18 divisions in the U.S. Army and one of eight National Guard divisions. It was formed in 1917 and received the special designation “Cyclone Division” after a tornado damaged their training camp in Camp Shelby, Mississippi, according to the Indiana National Guard.
The division has participated in Operation Enduring Freedom in Kuwait, Afghanistan, the Balkans, and the Horn of Africa, as well as Operation Iraqi Freedom. They also mobilized in 2019 in support of Operation Spartan Shield, the same operation they are supporting again. They returned from it in April 2020.
For the latest operation, deploying soldiers will be part of a “peace apparatus,” ensuring safety and security in the Middle East and deterring violence. They will work with NATO and non-NATO countries in the region, said Maj. Gen. Dale Lyles, adjutant general of the Indiana National Guard, following the ceremony.
For their training, troops will start with individual training before expanding to include a “major warfighter training exercise” that will simulate exactly what they will be doing overseas, Lyles said.
Parts of their training have been designed to meet what they should expect in their area of responsibility. The division will be headquartered out of Kuwait, and as a division headquarters, they have an “ability to maneuver and command subordinate units under them,” Lyles said.
“That’s what they’ll be doing in seven key locations in the Central U.S. Command area of responsibility,” he said.
The Indiana Army National Guard is “very practiced and prepared” for their operation and to provide assistance to troops’ families while they are deployed, Holcomb said.
“We’re there today and we’ll be there tomorrow, just as their loved one is serving overseas for us in the coming year ahead,” he said.
In his remarks at the ceremony, Degelow also talked about family. He addressed the importance of it, saying military service is a “family event.”
“What makes every soldier successful is that unwavering support from those at home,” Degelow said. “For the families here, please know that your soldier is expertly trained and thoroughly correct for this road ahead.”
Degelow also asked for three things from each soldier. First, for them to be safe, assess and mitigate risk, have a “battle buddy” who knows their whereabouts and to speak up if something doesn’t look right; second, continue to develop new skills; and third, “be the best version of yourself.”
For Capt. Stephen Zogbi, a husband and father of two from Brownsburg, Wednesday’s departure ceremony marks his second deployment. He joined the National Guard in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
“I was in middle school when 9/11 happened. I made a promise that I was going to not allow that to happen again,” Zogbi said. “It’s just important to be able to keep our freedom.”
Zogbi is ready to do his job, he said.
“I’ve got a nice little family here and I’m ready to make them proud,” Zogbi said.
