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Kentucky National Guard holds departure ceremony for unit deploying to Afghanistan

Feb. 2, 2010 | By kentuckyguard
MEDIA ADVISORY February 2, 2010 CONTACT: David W. Altom, 502-607-1562, cell 502-229-3227 Who: Kentucky National Guard's 2123rd Transportation Company What: Departure ceremony When: 6 p.m. EST, February 3, 2010 Where: Madison Central High School Gymnasium, 705 North 2nd Street, Richmond, Ky. RICHMOND, Ky. -- The Kentucky National Guard will host a departure ceremony for more than 180 members of the 2123rd Transportation Company as they prepare to deploy to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. EST February 3 at the Madison Central High School Gymnasium in Richmond. Joining the friends and family will be Adam Edelen, Chief of Staff for Governor Steve Beshear; Deputy Adjutant General Mike Richie; and Richmond Mayor Connie Lawson. The 2123rd Transportation Company will proceed to Fort Dix, N.J. for several weeks of training prior to leaving for Afghanistan. The unit's mission is to provide transporation support for combat operations throughout the Afghan theater of operations. GENERAL BACKGROUND The 2123rd Transportation Company is currently based in Richmond with a detachment in Owensboro. The unit was originally established in the 1960s as a light / medium truck company headquartered in Bowling Green. In the 1980s, two more platoons were added in Richmond when the 2123rd became a Heavy Equipment Transportation (HET) Company. In 2001, the Headquarters was relocated to Richmond and the Bowling Green platoon was relocated to Owensboro. OVERSEAS DEPLOYMENTS The 2123rd was called into Federal Service for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia from October 1990 through July 1991. During this mobilization, the unit was responsible for moving several types of equipment in support of the ground offensive. The unit received the Meritorious Unit Commendation Award, two Kuwaiti Liberation Medals, and the Southwest Asia Service Medal. In December 2003, the 2123rd was again called into Federal Service in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 2123rd operated from Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. The 2123rd drove over 2,000,000 miles and completed over 75 missions. They were responsible for transporting U.S. and coalition units into and out of the Iraqi theater of Operations. Their typical missions lasted from five to seven days with Soldiers often required to conduct 24 hour operations in hostile areas. DOMESTIC DISASTER MISSIONS The 2123rd has served the Commonwealth during many natural disasters, including the 1997 flood and the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief mission. During the 2009 Winter Storm the unit assisted civilian authorities in Madison and Garrard counties by conducting door-to-door wellness checks in remote areas of the counties. The Soldiers of the 2123rd also delivered essential supplies and worked with state and local crews in clearing roads and gaining access to damaged power transmission lines.

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