By CAT SANDOVAL
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
About 600 Indiana National Guard troops prepared Wednesday to deploy overseas to the Middle East.
A departure celebration at Camp Atterbury near Edinburgh was bittersweet and emotional. Some soldiers were excited. Some family members were teary-eyed. Click here to see photos from the event.
Gerardo Sanchez said of his departure, “Excited. I’m ready to go. This is checking-the-box kinda thing.”
His sister Matzine Sanchez got emotional. “I’m very proud of him. I’m going to miss him a lot.”
Gerardo and other Indiana National Guard troops will train for a month in Texas and then head to the Middle East to support the Army’s Operation Spartan Shield. They’ll be placed in several key locations including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. Their deployment will be about a year.
Griffey Nolder Sr. is being deployed for the first time. He cradled his six-week-old son, Griffey Jr. “It’s hard being away from him but it’s good to help him out.”
Another Indiana Guard Member being deployed is an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer. Connor Finch said, “Just one more thing I can do to help better the lives of others. Really just make my life worth more than myself.”
Finch’s message to his fellow brother and sisters in blue: “Hold the line guys, I’ll be home soon.”
Maj. Gen. R. Dale Lyles, the head of the Indiana National Guard, said of the deployment, “Ensuring safety and security in the Middle East and deterring violence and ensuring that all Americans live free and are protected against our adversary.”
He told the Indiana National Guard troops as they prepared to leave, “This country owes you a great debt of gratitude that we can never repay.”
Due to security reasons, the exact date of when the troops will be deployed was not made public, but a spokesperson for the Indiana National Guard says it’ll be in the next few days.
This story was originally published by WISH-TV at wishtv.com/news/i-team-8/indiana-national-guard-troops-to-be-deployed-to-the-middle-east.