77 F
Cruz Bay
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsMilitaryFarewell Ceremony Slated for 24 Deploying V.I. National Guardsmen

Farewell Ceremony Slated for 24 Deploying V.I. National Guardsmen

Twenty-four Virgin Islands Guardsmen will leave the territory next weekend for deployment overseas. Pre-deployment training and a farewell ceremony will occur on Jan. 16 and 17 on St. Thomas.
The State Family Program Office of Virgin Islands National Guard (VING) will conduct Yellow Ribbon training for soldiers of HHC 786th Support Battalion. The training, Jan. 16-17, will take place at Sugar Bay Resort. Overall, the National Guard trains monthly and during its annual training. For the past year, this unit has been training on tasks specific to the deployment.
A deployment can be emotionally challenging and stressful for a military family. Through the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP), military families learn ways they can become resilient when facing deployment challenges, including how to prepare children to cope with the separation.
Adjutant General of the Virgin Islands Brig. Gen. Deborah Y. Howell will host a farewell ceremony for the departing soldiers at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 17, at the Sergeant First Class Leonard B. Francis Readiness Center in Estate Nazareth. Both the farewell ceremony and Yellow Ribbon Tree-Adorning Ceremony will recognize the soldiers deploying.
The final send-off will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 24, at Cyril King Airport as they depart to a military installation stateside for further training in preparation for their mission.
For more information on the event, contact Capt. Josephine Hector-Murphy, 786th CSSB personnel officer, at 712-7959 or e-mail josephine.hectormurphy.mil@mail.mil or Staff Sgt. Zara Heskey, Yellow Ribbons Event coordinator, at 713-5751 or e-mail zara.c.hesky.mil@mail.mil.
For more information, contact MSG Karen Williams at 712-7750 or cell: 332-5541. (www.facebook.com/VIGuard or www.vi.ngb.army.mil
 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.