Departure ceremony held for 116th Military Engagement Team
Senior leaders from state government and the Virginia National Guard join family members, friends and fellow Soldiers in bidding farewell to the members of the Staunton-based 116th Military Engagement Team, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team March 11, 2016, in Sandston, Virginia, at a ceremony to mark their start of federal active duty. The team of approximately 25 Soldiers comes from units across the state. During their federal mobilization, the 116th MET will conduct military-to-military engagements with partners in U.S. Army Central Command’s area of responsibility including Kuwait, Jordan, Oman and Tajikistan. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, Virginia Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Moran, Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Adam K. Thiel, Maj Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, and Col. William J. Coffin, commander of the 116th IBCT, were on hand to bid farewell to the Soldiers and thank them and their families for the service and sacrifice. Soldiers from the Clifton Forge-based 29th Division Band provided music for the departure ceremony. (Photo by Cotton Puryear, Virginia National Guard Public Affairs Office)
Departure ceremony held for 116th Military Engagement Team
Senior leaders from state government and the Virginia National Guard join family members, friends and fellow Soldiers in bidding farewell to the members of the Staunton-based 116th Military Engagement Team, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team March 11, 2016, in Sandston, Virginia, at a ceremony to mark their start of federal active duty. The team of approximately 25 Soldiers comes from units across the state. During their federal mobilization, the 116th MET will conduct military-to-military engagements with partners in U.S. Army Central Command’s area of responsibility including Kuwait, Jordan, Oman and Tajikistan. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, Virginia Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Moran, Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Adam K. Thiel, Maj Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, and Col. William J. Coffin, commander of the 116th IBCT, were on hand to bid farewell to the Soldiers and thank them and their families for the service and sacrifice. Soldiers from the Clifton Forge-based 29th Division Band provided music for the departure ceremony. (Photo by Cotton Puryear, Virginia National Guard Public Affairs Office)