Local families of soldiers belonging to the C Battery of the 1st Battalion of the 134th Field Artillery Regiment participated in a day of family fun hosted by the Union County Family Readiness Group. Above, a child meets “The Green Army Man” during Family Day. At left, a clown, who made balloon animals during the event, talks with a family. Soldiers were also able to enjoy lunch and ice cream with their families during the event Friday.
(Journal-Tribune photos by Ally Lanasa)
—
A group of local soldiers is preparing for deployment.
The 1st Battalion of the 134th Field Artillery Regiment of the Ohio National Guard, which is headquartered in Delaware, will participate in a call to duty ceremony at Marysville High School Wednesday evening.
The regiment, which has previously deployed to Europe, Kuwait and Afghanistan, is an element of the 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
The call to duty ceremony in Marysville is one of several that will occur throughout the state in advance of an approximately year-long deployment of about 1,800 soldiers, according to information provided by the Ohio Adjutant General’s Department.
Along with Marysville, ceremonies will be held in Tiffin, Dayton, Stow and Worthington.
The soldiers will deploy in support of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR).
The Department of Defense formally established CJTF-OIR in October 2014 to formalize ongoing military actions against threats posed by ISIS in Iraq and Syria, according to information from the Department of Defense.
“CJTF-OIR advises, assists and enables partnered forces until they can independently defeat Daesh (the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State) in designated areas of Iraq and Syria, in order to set conditions for long-term security cooperation frameworks,” according to the mission statement on the operation’s website.
The date of the regiment’s departure and its final destination has not been made public by the Ohio National Guard.
The Union County Family Readiness Group hosted a family day for the C Battery of the regiment on Friday to spend time together prior to their deployment.
Children’s activities included an inflatable obstacle course, magic show and clown making balloon animals. Soldiers and their families were also provided lunch and ice cream to enjoy together.
The Family Readiness Group is supported by American Legion Post 248, Amvets Post 28, Disabled American Veterans Chapter 55, Richwood Bank, Union County Military Family Support Group and Union County Veterans Service Office.