Alaska Army Guardsmen bid families farewell ahead of Middle East deployment

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (KTUU) - Nine soldiers with the Alaska Army National Guard (AKARNG) were honored at the Camp Carroll flagpole on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in late May as part of a farewell ceremony ahead of their nine-month deployment to the Middle East. The guardsmen are assigned to the 49th Personnel Detachment, known commonly as the 49th Theater Gateway.

The mobilization will base the unit in Kuwait to support Operation Spartan Shield (OSS), a United States Central Command (CENTCOM) operation designed to bolster defense relationships and advance stability in the region.

According to the unit commander Maj. Alex McMahan, the role of the 49th Theater Gateway is to track and demonstrate logistical capabilities, including transporting and tracking all soldiers going into CENTCOM operations.

“It’s extremely important for the CENTCOM commander to be aware of where his people are and how many people he has,” McMahan said. “I believe there are only nine theater gateways in the entire army — that’s both on the Reserve component and the active side — and so we’re one of those units who is going to get a chance to go demonstrate that we are proficient at theater gateway operations.”

The unit, assigned to the AKARNG at JBER in September 2009, was previously deployed to Kuwait in support of OSS in 2017.

For deploying Prince of Wales soldier Sgt. Gabriel Almenzor, the mobilization serves as an opportunity for self-growth as a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) and a chance to make his family proud.

“My family is the reason why I joined, you know, helping myself develop as a young man and following in the footsteps of my grandpa and uncle,” Almenzor said. “I’m eternally grateful for what they’ve done, both the military and my family.”

The ceremony served as a chance for friends, family, and fellow soldiers to bid farewell to the small unit, who will head to Fort Cavazos, TX for a few weeks before heading overseas. Col. Michele Edwards, commander of the 297th Regional Support Group — the brigade in which the 49th Theater Gateway operates — spoke to the unit at the ceremony.

“This small but mighty group of soldiers will contribute to the Army’s mission to deploy, to fight, and win our nation’s wars,” Edwards said at the ceremony. “You are part of what makes the United States military the most lethal force in the world.”

McMahan said he is grateful for the commitment of the unit’s soldiers, who leave their families and civilian lives behind to serve Alaska’s National Guard and the nation.

“To go for nine months and deploy — that means an incredible lot to me, but it means a lot to the organization,” McMahan said. “They’re truly going into serve their nation, and I appreciate it.”

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