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CONTACT: Mr. Eric Durr 518-786-4581 or (cell) 518-429-5186
FOR RELEASE: Saturday, Feb 21, 2009

New York Army National Guard Liaison Team Deploying To Iraq For Second Time

Media Advisory

WHO:

Officers and enlisted personnel of the 53rd Army Liaison Team and their families.

WHAT:

NEW YORK, NY (02/19/2009)-- Twenty-six members of the New York Army National Guard's 53rd Army Liaison Team will hold a farewell ceremony on Saturday, Feb 21, as they prepare to deploy to Iraq for the second time from their home station at the Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan. Nine of the Soldiers have deployed to Iraq before. Members of the media planning to attend the farewell ceremony should contact Lt. Col Norman Easy at Norman.Easy@us.army.mil or call (212) 452-3061.

WHEN:

11 a.m. Saturday February 21, 2009

WHERE:

Hunter College Auditorium at 68th Street and Lexington Avenue (Enter between Lexington and Park Avenue).

VISUAL OPPORTUNITIES: A formal military farewell ceremony with troops in formation as family members watch.

BACKGROUND:

An Army liaison team's role is to ensure that different unit headquarters understands the missions and intentions of other forces the United States Army works with. The 53rd Army Liaison Team's mission will be to act as an interface between the Iraqi Army and the American led-Multinational Forces Iraq coalition. The unit will be initially based in what was formerly called the International Zone or Green Zone, where Iraqi government ministries are located. The team is also expected to have elements in Camp Victory, the massive operations base near Baghdad International Airport which serves as headquarters for the Multinational Corps in Iraq. This will be the second deployment for the unit. The 53rd Army Liaison Team deployed to Baghdad in 2004/05 and conducted a similar mission. Nine of the team members who deployed with the unit then are going back for a second time. The Soldiers will be on federal active duty for 12 months. They are expected to spend about 10 months in Iraq. 53rd Army Liaison Team: The 53rd Army Liaison Team is a small unit that has one of the most storied lineages in the National Guard; in fact one of the unit's ancestors gave the name National Guard to what was once known as the militia. In 1825 the 2nd Battalion 2ndRegiment of Artillery, was assembled to welcome the Marquis de Lafayette-the French hero of the Revolutionary War-- to the United States on what was to become a famous tour of the country. In the early days of the French Revolution, Lafayette had commanded a citizen's militia known as the "Gard Nationale de Paris". To honor Lafayette the unit decided to change its name to the American version, the National Guard. Lafayette left his carriage and shook hands with every member of the unit. The name stuck, and by the end of the 19th Century most militia units were calling themselves the National Guard, a change which was made official in 1903. This artillery battalion was later reorganized as the 7th Regiment, and under that name participated in the Civil War. In World War I its name was changed to the 107th Infantry. Eventually the unit was deactivated in 1993 and the lineage transferred to the 107th Support Group, responsible for providing combat support to fighting units. In 2006 a further reorganization of the National Guard resulted in the consolidation of this historic unit into the 53rd Army Liaison Team.
© NYS DMNA Press Release:New York Army National Guard Liaison Team Deploying To Iraq For Second Time
URL: https://dmna.ny.gov/pressroom/?id=1235278448
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