Guam National Guard Battalion leaves for 3-week training

 In what could possibly the largest air movement for Guard soldiers on annual training, over 600 soldiers from the Guam Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 294th Infantry Regiment, and its affiliated Forward Support Company, F Company, 29th Brigade Support Battalion, are leaving island over the next few days for a training site over 8,000 miles away in California.

The training will focus on individual and squad level training for soldiers assigned to the battalion as it prepares for its pending deployment to Afghanistan early next year in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

“This annual training is our first real opportunity to allow our soldiers the chance to complete a significant amount of the many pre-deployment training requirements. This training is necessary to ensure all of our soldiers are trained and qualified to meet the rigors of deployment and to ensure their safe return home,” said Lt. Col. Michael Tougher, 1-294th Infantry commander.

This is also possibly the largest ever air movement of Army Guard members for annual training by Air National Guard assets under a single operation, according to Tougher.

“The fact that the National Guard is moving more than 600 soldiers and 21 pallets of equipment on nine military and three commercial air transports, is an impressive logistical accomplishment,” he added.

Several states with Air National Guard assets are supporting the air movement, according to Lt. Col. George Charfauros, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans. These states include Alaska, Arizona, California, Georgia, Iowa, Maine Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

The 1-294th Infantry will spend three weeks at Camp Roberts, Calif., to perform their annual training. The base is typically used by Army National Guard and Army Reserve units for their collective training. The Maneuver Training Center Camp Roberts covers a 42,361-acre site that is considered the largest training area under the control of the California Army National Guard. It can support the training requirements of light and heavy maneuver (mounted and dismounted) training, live-fire ranges from small arms to crew serve weapons, aerial gunnery, drop zones, and limited airfield needs on two airfields.

A large movement like this AT provides opportunities for the unit to look at how well they can execute their movement plans among other things, said Maj. Gen. Benny M. Paulino, The Adjutant General for the Guam Guard.

“A deployment like this allows us to go through the process of moving personnel and equipment, exercise rear detachment operations, and family support procedures,” said Paulino.

The Guam Army National Guard received the alert order for its 1-294th Infantry and F Company, 29th BSB for deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom late last year.

The alert order is a step in the process leading to mobilization. It also gives the Guam Army National Guard and the 1-294th Infantry command the time and resources it needs to meet the training and validation requirements before the unit reports to its mobilization station, and complete training before deploying into their area of operations.

The 1-294th Infantry is composed of soldiers from Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

The anticipated activation of the 1-294th Infantry Regiment may also be considered as the largest group of reserve component troops to be mobilized and deployed from Guam. (PR)