HARTFORD, Conn. (WTIC) - Hundreds of family members, friends, political leaders and guardsmen packed the William A. O'Neil Armory Tuesday to attend a formal send-off ceremony for the Connecticut National Guard's 643rd Military Police Company.
Under the command of Capt. Robin Felder, the Unit will embark on its first-ever mission to Cuba. Specifically, the Unit will be responsible for Guantanamo Bay's detainee operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The Unit's 120 members will depart Connecticut later this month for an active duty U.S. Army post in Texas for further training before deploying to Guantanamo Bay. For many, the year-long trip will be their first-ever deployment.
It marks the Unit's first deployment in over a decade, as the last overseas deployment occurred in Germany in 2006.
This is also the second deployment of Connecticut troops to Cuba in the last four years, as members of the 192nd Military Police Battalion embarked on a similar mission in 2015.
With the latest deployment, the total number of Connecticut National Guardsmen serving in support of operations worldwide is over 300.