CONTACT: Lt. Col. Paul Fanning, 518-786-4581

FOR RELEASE: Thursday, Apr 08, 2010

ON SITE: Lt.Raul Maisonet (Cell) 917-349-3619

HARLEM, NY (04/08/2010)-- The New York Army National Guard's Jamaica, Queens-based 442nd Military Police Company will hold a ceremony with their family members Saturday to mark their mobilization for federal military service prior to leaving for training at Fort Dix, NJ on April 19. The unit will be deploying to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom to continue with the transition mission from U.S. and coalition forces to Iraqi security forces. WHO: 170 Soldiers and hundreds of family members of the 442nd Military Police Company, New York Army National Guard. WHAT: Mobilization Ceremony for New York Army National Guard Soldiers who will soon begin post-mobilization training, prior to serving for 10 months in Iraq WHEN: 1 p.m., Saturday, April 10, 2010. WHERE: New York State Armory 2366 Fifth Avenue, New York City (Harlem) Coverage Opportunities: Imagery of the Soldiers in a formation and then joining with family members. There will be opportunities to interview Soldiers, their families and New York Army National Guard leaders. Additional Information: 442nd Military Police Company: The 442nd Military Police Company is comprised of about 170 men and women and is based at the State Armory in Jamaica, Queens. The unit served at Ground Zero following the 9-11, 2001 terrorist attacks and was deployed to Iraq in 2003-4, where it earned a Presidential Unit Citation and helped re-establish a training academy for the Iraqi police. Approximately a third of the unit's members are civilian law enforcement professionals from across the region and almost a fourth of the unit has already completed at least one overseas deployment, including its commander Capt. Tara Dawe, who served as an enlisted member of the unit in Iraq. About a fifth of the unit's members are college students. 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