A Kentucky Army National Guard unit took off from Lexington’s Blue Grass Airport Monday afternoon for an eventual nine-month deployment to the Middle East. Major Aaron Van Sickle is the deputy commander for the 138th Field Artillery Brigade. He said the 130-soldier unit will spend two weeks in Texas for pre-deployment training before heading to the Middle East.
“So, they do provide a command-and-control capability for combat forces in theater, but their primary mission is going to be to strengthen those defense partnerships with our allies, as well as provide a crisis response capabilities.”
Members of the 138th and their families got together at Transylvania University Sunday for pre-sendoff honors. Since 9-11, extended deployments like their 9-month mission are the rule, rather than the exception. Van Sickle, who lives in Versailles with his family, has been to Iraq and the Cape of Africa. This time, he’s staying behind, and said the 138th will have plenty of support in the Middle East and back home.
“We’re one big family. So we have resources, we have a Family Readiness Group headed up by one of the senior noncommissioned officers within the unit. And they're able to conduct meetings, they have phone numbers of phone trees, where they can call and reach out to us or other family members.”
Van Sickle said troops also use Facebook Live, Skype and other Internet-based methods of communications to keep the home fires burning.
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