Planeside farewell ceremony for NY National Guard troops March 17 at Stewart Air Guard Base

STEWART AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.Y. (03/14/2018) (readMedia)-- Three hundred members of the New York Army National Guard's 101st Expeditionary Signal Battalion (101st ESB), which is headquartered in Yonkers and has elements in Peekskill and Orangeburg, will leave from Stewart Air National Guard Base on Saturday March 17 for service in Afghanistan.

Members of the press are invited to cover the departure ceremony at Stewart Air National Guard Base.

WHO: More than 300 Soldiers of the 101st ESB, along with family and friends.

WHAT: Departure ceremony for New York Army National Guard's 101st ESB Soldiers. The battalion will depart Stewart Air Force Base for further mobilization training before heading overseas in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.The unit will train for overseas deployment at Fort Hood, Texas. They are expected to serve one year on active duty with the Soldiers returning to the Hudson Valley in the spring of 2019.

WHEN: Saturday, March 17 at approx. 12:00 p.m. Media must contact SSgt. Julio A. Olivencia, 845-239-0525, at 10:00am for an updated arrival time.

WHERE: Stewart Air Force Base, Hanger 102, Newburgh, N.Y., 12550.

MEDIA OPPORTUNITY:

Videographers and still photographers can capture imagery of the Soldiers and families as they prepare for a deployment. There will be opportunities for short interviews with Soldiers and their family members.

For access to the secure area of Stewart Air Force Base, news media representatives must contact SSgt. Julio A. Olivencia, 845-239-0525 by 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 15.

BACKGROUND:

The 101st Signal Battalion traces its linage back to December 1886 as the Provisional Signal Corps of the 1st and 2nd Brigades. Reorganized in July 1903 as the 1st and 2d Signal Corps Companies, they were then consolidated on February 7, 1914 as the 1st Battalion, Signal Corps. The new battalion was first called into federal service in June 1916 for service on the US-Mexican border and then in Europe during World War I, were it took part in the Somme Offensive. In June 1921, the unit re-designated as the 101st Signal Battalion.

With global conflict looming on the horizon once again, the battalion was mustered into federal service in January 1941. The battalion served in the Pacific Theater during World War II, where it provided signal support for the liberation of Leyte Island of the Philippines in 1944, earning the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. The battalion then went on to provide signal support for U.S. and allied forces during the Volcano and Ryukyu Islands Campaign, more commonly known as the Battle for Iwo Jima and the Battle of Okinawa.

They were called to serve again in 1950 as the crisis on the Korean Peninsula began to escalate. The unit took part in the US-led United Nations campaign to maintain stability and freedom in the region. For its service, the battalion received the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation.

In 2012, the 101st ESB was mobilized to support the Global War on Terror. The unit served in Afghanistan where it provided critical signal support to strategic and ground forces during Operation Enduring Freedom. Due of the efforts and achievement of its Soldiers, the 101st ESB was awarded the Meritorious Unit Citation on September 4, 2014.