GREENSBORO (AP) — A North Carolina Army National Guard unit based in Greensboro is getting ready to head to Egypt for a yearlong deployment.
A farewell ceremony for Battery C was held over the weekend, the News & Record of Greensboro reported.
Sgt. Samantha Goliat’s said her 13-year-old daughter is concerned about her mother’s first deployment.
Goliat is a third-generation soldier. Her grandfather fought in World War II. Her father, Bob Goliat, served during the Vietnam War.
“I’m so proud of my kid,” said Bob Goliat, who came to the ceremony from Garfield Heights, Ohio. “Her mom’s on pins and needles. God bless them all.”
Col. Jim Ernst told the soldiers they have the easy part. Families of the soldiers will rely on support programs, friends and other family members to get through nearly a year without their loved ones.
“It is the family that is left behind that bears the biggest burden,” Ernst said.
Eighty-four soldiers in the unit will take part in the deployment. The battery will train at Camp Atterbury, Ind., until early December. It then heads to Egypt until September.
The Greensboro unit joins others from High Point, Winston-Salem, Reidsville and Louisburg as part of the Army National Guard’s 5th Battalion, 113th Field Artillery Regiment. They will monitor compliance with the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty.
Spc. Yasbic Medina surprised his girlfriend, Torri White, with a marriage proposal at a reception after the ceremony. She said yes but they didn’t set a date. The wedding must wait until he returns, the couple said.