CONTACT: Mr. Eric Durr, 518-786-4581 or (cell) 518-429-5186.

FOR RELEASE: Sunday, Dec 13, 2009

ON SITE: At location Saturday contact Capt. Erik Stevens (cell) 518-332-1344

ONEONTA, NY (12/10/2009--Soldiers of the New York Army National Guard's 827th Engineer Company and their family members will participate in a pre-mobilization briefing on Sunday Dec.13 at the Holiday Inn here. The 827th is slated to deploy to Afghanistan in early 2010 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. WHO: 50 Soldiers and family members from 827th Engineer Company detachment that drills at the New York State Armory in Walton. WHAT: A special briefing from the New York Army National Guard's Yellow Ribbon Program Office on services that will be available to family members during their Soldiers deployment to Afghanistan. Since 2007 the National Guard has been conducting programs for Guard members and their families when Soldiers return from combat. Soldier and family feedback has resulted in adding a pre-mobilization session to the program. WHEN: 10 a.m., Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009 WHERE: Holiday Inn 5206 State Highway 23, Oneonta, NY Coverage Opportunities: Imagery of speakers talking to Soldiers and families and opportunities to speak with Soldiers and families about the upcoming deployment. Additional Information: New York Army National Guard Yellow Ribbon Program: The New York Army National Guard Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program was created to help Soldiers and their family members cope with the stress of returning to civilian life after deployment, while also helping Army National Guard units' transition from their federal mobilization status back to state control. Yellow Ribbon events have proved to be an effective way to help reintegrate troops with families, employers and the community. Now it is being used to help prepare Soldiers and family members for future mobilizations. Prior to 2008 the policy for returning Guard units was to give Soldiers 90 days to themselves before they were required to begin coming to regular monthly National Guard weekend drills. While this gesture was well-intended The National Guard learned that Soldiers might begin experiencing problems and had no one to turn to during this period until they returned to training with their unit. Family members also might be put under strain as a long-gone spouse suddenly returned home. The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program requires Soldiers to be present for paid assemblies at 30 and 60 days after their return from a combat zone, and invites families to attend as well. The sessions are held in a non-threatening, non-military environment, to provide Soldiers and families a chance to share experiences and talk frankly with each other and counselors about their experiences. Now this model is being used to prepare Soldiers and family members in advance of a deployment as way to better support them and possibly address challenges before they become problems. Because Soldiers from other units will be rounding out the ranks of the 827th during the coming deployment, pre-mobilization talks will take place in Buffalo on Sunday Dec. 13 and in Horseheads, where the main element of the 827th is located, on Saturday, Dec. 12. Nearly 2,000 members of the New York Army National Guard have participated in Yellow Ribbon Re-Integration events in 2008 following the return of troops from Afghanistan and Iraq. 827th Engineer Company: 827 Engineer Company is a horizontal construction company, which means they specialize in building and repairing roads headquartered in Horseheads NY and is part of the 204th Engineer Battalion based in Binghamton, NY. The 827th also has a detachment in Walton, NY. The 204th Engineer Battalion is the only engineer battalion in the New York Army National Guard and plays a significant role when the Guard responds to state emergencies. For this upcoming deployment to Afghanistan, the 827th will be doing primarily road construction with D7-Dozers, Scrapers, Graders, and general earthmoving equipment. They are regularly called to assist the State with snow removal and flood support such as their recent State Mission with flooding of Delaware and Sullivan counties June 18, 2007. The Company will be augmented with additional Soldiers from the 204th Engineer Battalion located in Binghamton and the 152 Engineer Company located in Buffalo. These Soldiers from Buffalo recently assisted with flooding of Gowanda and Silver Creek, NY 11-19 August 2009. CPT Jeffrey Miles is the Company Commander and 1SG Armando Lopez is the First Sergeant. Follow the New York National Guard on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube: FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-York-Army-National-Guard/112535293973?ref=search&sid=100000443776901.3155842963..1 Twitter: http://twitter.com/NationalGuardNY YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/nynationalguard