Guam Guardsmen prepare for major deployment

by Tanna Tarpley

Guam - The Guam National Guard held a joint deployment sendoff ceremony today for the Security Forces Advisory Team and the 254th Red Horse Squadron. The SFAT team "Ifit" will be sending 13 soldiers and will join the Hawaii Army National Guard 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team's contingent of 20 SFATs. This deployment is the start of the mass National Guard mobilization we will see within the next twelve months of around 600 soldiers from Guam and the CNMI. The mission is to develop relationships between us forces with indigenous security forces and afghan national partners.

Lieutenant Colonel Frank Tominez, Jr. is SFAT security advisor commander, and said, "We've done many missions before where we teach coach and mentor. Now we are going to step back really and advising the local police, the national police on personnel, logistics, intelligence, operations and communications basically establishing their government."

During his address today, Guam National Guard Adjutant General Benny Paulino said that despite the us governments projected mass pull out of soldiers in Afghanistan, the operational tempo and demand for on the field soldiers is still high. Evidently that's where the Guam Guard comes in, according to Tominez. "The Taliban is there. They know that we are actually pulling back. So that's kind of going to minimize the troops on the ground so now there are specialized teams out down range mentoring or advising the local police," he explained.

The Guard first received notice of the deployment three months ago. Of these men were Infantry Specialist Mark Anthony Aquino and medic Staff Sergeant Joseph Aquino, Jr, brothers in the SFAT Team Ifit facing deployment together. Mark said, "Having my brother there, it's definitely a big help especially having the family away. At least having that one family member who is also going through the same thing and having someone to lean on."

The Aquino brother's family stood by their side during today's sendoff ceremony. Their father, Joseph Aquino, is proud of the men his son's have become today. "It's their calling. They were called to serve. They were trained to be professional soldiers although we don't think its fair they are deployed together. I mean they are trained in different areas. At least they will be there for each other."

The Guam airmen and soldiers are expected to leave Guam on August 1, where they will undergo three months of training in the states. They are expected to arrive in Afghanistan on November 8.

Also facing deployment is eight Guam airmen of the 254th Red Horse Squadron, "Team Taotaomonas". Their mission is to provide a highly mobile self sufficient heavy construction engineer response force where they have been trained to operate in austere and high threat environments.