‘It’s not all about conflicts': Alaska Army National Guard troops prepare for deployment to Poland
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - On Friday, the Alaska Army National Guard held a ceremony for soldiers preparing to deploy to Poland.
Lt. Col. Sean Pence is Deputy Commander for the 297 Regional Support Group being deployed. He says the group of roughly 80 guardsmen he works with are eager to get their boots on the ground.
“We had many, many volunteers, people who said they really wanted to do this mission,” he explains. “Everybody’s very excited, very motivated to do the work.”
While abroad, Alaska’s soldiers will join thousands of other U.S. Army troops in managing base security and facility maintenance, as well as coordinating with military contractors.
Spc. Kyle Johnson of the 31B Military Police was one of the AKNG soldiers who were deployed to Poland in May of 2020.
He says this mission is different from other deployments; it’s one of peace.
“It’s not all about conflicts, it’s about hospitality,” Johnson said. “There’s a lot of positive we can really put out there and show a different face of a military rather than something that’s more of a defensive element.”
The deployments are part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, which has been active in the region supporting NATO since 2014.
Staff Sgt. Cody Foster says he looks forward to establishing closer connections with NATO allies.
He tells Alaska’s News Source, “getting the other experience in newer countries, sharing our experience with them, how we do business, how they do business,” he said. “We can succeed together as a team because that’s where we’re going to be our strongest.”
The AKNG deployment team will be leaving in mid-February for additional training out-of-state before heading to Poland.
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