A Wyoming Army National Guard infantry unit will have a farewell celebration before deploying to southeastern Europe. The unit will be overseas on a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Kosovo.
Deputy Public Affairs Officer for the Wyoming Military Department Tyler Schiele said the unit will stop at Fort Bliss in Texas for additional training before heading overseas.
"Exactly nine months later they will come back to Fort Bliss, for a short period of time, and then they'll return back to Afton. But by the time all is said and done, generally, these soldiers are on active duty for about 11 to 12 months," he said.
This is the first time the unit of around 60 soldiers will be deployed since it was organized in 2016.
Schiele said the deployment will allow the soldiers to bring valuable experience back to Wyoming.
"Being able to do a UN mission like this just brings another skill set to the force. And it enhances the knowledge and the overall abilities of our Wyoming National Guardsmen," he said.
The farewell will be at Star Valley High School in Afton on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. The event is open to the public.