Military farewell ceremony for 111 NY Guard Soldiers deploying to Guantanamo Bay on Saturday, January 25.

LATHAM, NY (01/23/2025) (readMedia)-- One hundred and eleven New York Army National Guard Soldiers who will be deploying overseas for nine months will be recognized during a deployment ceremony at Shaker High School on Saturday, January 25.

Members of the press are invited to cover the event.

WHO: One hundred and eleven Soldiers assigned to the 206th Military Police Company, Brigadier General Isabel Rivera Smith, the commander of the 53rd Troop Command, and family and friends of the Soldiers.

WHAT:A military farewell ceremony as the Soldiers go on active duty. The military police Soldiers will be assigned to Joint Task Force Guantanamo, based at Naval Station Guantanamo at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

WHEN: 1 p.m., Saturday, January 25, 2025.

WHERE:Shaker High School, 445 Watervliet Shaker Rd, Latham, NY 12110. The event will be in the auditorium. Access will be through the rear doors.

Coverage Opportunities

Reporters will be able to interview leaders, Soldiers, and family members and obtain still and video imagery of the ceremony.

Reporters wishing to access the event should contact 1st Lt. Maya Blanchet at 518-703-3712 for more information.

BACKGROUND.

The 206th Military Police Company is headquartered at New York National Guard headquarters in Latham.

The Soldiers will be performing detention operations as part of Joint Task Force Guantanamo, which supports the custody of armed conflict detainees at the naval station.

The Soldiers have been training for the deployment for the past year and will conduct three weeks of additional training at Fort Bliss, Texas, before heading to Guantanamo Bay.

New York Army National Guard Soldiers from the 107th Military Police Company, the 442nd Military Police Company, the 102nd Military Police Battalion, and the 42nd Infantry Division headquarters battalion have deployed in support of this mission in the past.

According to the Department of Defense, there are 26 detainees at the facility.