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Staff Sgt. Chester Mingledoff, a squad leader with the 278th Military Police Company, tearfully says goodbye to his wife Diana after a departure ceremony at Fort Gordon. The 278th, the newest unit within the Georgia Army Guard’s 170th MP Battalion, is making its first-ever war-time deployment. (Georgia National Guard photo by Spc. Amanda Luksic)
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Jan. 9, 2007 – The more than 100 members of the Augusta-based 278th Military Police Company said their final goodbyes to families, friends and fellow Soldiers during the unit’s departure ceremony at Fort Gordon.
The unit was scheduled to leave the following day for 80 days of mobilization training at Fort Dix, N.J., and the beginning of its 13 month deployment to Iraq. According to 1st Sgt. Callie Leaver, the 278th’s senior noncommissioned officer, the company will move on to Kuwait and then into Iraq where it will join the active Army’s 300 Military Police Brigade.
“Our primary mission is detainee operations...caring for them and providing security while they are being detained and during movement from one place to another,” Leaver said. “There will most likely be other missions, but that’s something we’ll find out once we arrive at our final destination.”
Just where the 278th is going in Iraq has not been disclosed, she added. That probably won’t happen until the unit has reached Kuwait.
As a unit, the 278th stood up and conducted its first drill in December 2005. While this is the first war-time or peace-time deployment, for the unit and some of its Soldiers, at least 50 percent of the Soldiers have deployments under their belts, Leaver noted. Many of them, she added were with the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team during its 2005-2006 mission in Iraq.
“That’s certainly a plus for us,” Leaver said, looking over her troops as they mingled with family, hugged spouses and children tightly and shook the hands of friends who’d gathered to see them off. “Their experiences in that troubled land give us a whole host of invaluable knowledge to lean on, as we train up and then as we finally get into the mission.”
Elaborating on that, Brig. Gen. Larry Dudney, commander 78th Troop Command, reminded the MPs that they needed to “trust your training, trust your battle buddy, trust your leaders and last trust in your God.”
“For that trust will see you through this and bring your home,” he said.
“Be proud of who you are, what you do and whom you represent,” Dudney added, “For we are proud, so proud of you…we’re here for you and your families. Good luck and we look forward for your safe return.”