Deployment ceremony scheduled for Aberdeen, Watertown Guard units

Rockets fired by the 1-147th Field Artillery of the South Dakota Army National Guard head towards thier targets at the Northern Impact Area at Fort McCoy, Wis. 25 June, 2017. The 1-147th Field Artillery used the M270A1 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems as part of thier annual training at Fort McCoy. Photo by Jamal Wilson

ABERDEEN – A deployment ceremony is scheduled for 114 Soldiers with the South Dakota Army National Guard’s Alpha Battery, 1-147th Field Artillery Battalion and 147th Forward Support Company, Sunday, Sept. 1, at 2 p.m. at the Aberdeen High School gymnasium.

The public is encouraged to attend the event as the units depart for a 10-month deployment to Europe. A community send-off ceremony will also be held for 56 Soldiers deploying with the 147th FSC on Friday, Aug. 2, at 6 p.m. in Watertown at the Ernie Edwards Readiness Center. The unit will be supporting Operation Atlantic Resolve, which builds readiness, increases interoperability and enhances the bond between ally and partner militaries using multinational training events in Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania.

The Aberdeen-based Alpha Battery is equipped with the Multiple Launch Rocket System, or MLRS, and is capable of providing artillery support to a brigade, division, corps or coalition task force. The Watertown-based Forward Support Company is a multifunctional logistics unit which provides supply and maintenance support.

The units will report to Fort Bliss, Texas, to complete several weeks of theater-specific training prior to deployment overseas.

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