Tennessee National Guardsmen deployed to U.S. southern border

TULLAHOMA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Tennessee National Guard soldiers deployed on Wednesday to the southern U.S. border.

TN National Guard soldiers preparing for deployment (from TN Department of Military)

The National Guard says more than 125 soldiers left for this year-long deployment.

The soldiers are part of the 1175th Transportation Company of the Tennessee National Guard. This is a transportation unit, with soldiers trained in logistics, maintenance and combat. This unit is based in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

Guardsmen will head to McAllen, Texas, which is along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“This is a unique mission we have been getting ready for,” said Capt. Everett Miller, commander of the 1175th Transportation Company. “Our Soldiers have been working hard for over a year to prepare for this and anything else needed.”

The National Guard says they will assist U.S. Customs and Border Protection in preventing illegal entry and deterring illicit activity. Troops will additionally monitor the border, support border patrol stations and detect illegal entry from observation posts.

According to Tennessee military leaders, the soldiers flew to Fort Bliss, Texas on October 11. There, they will complete pre-deployment training, which will last one week.

“We will be based primarily in the McAllen, Texas, area and will assist border patrol stations as needed,” said Miller. “It will be a dynamic and important mission, requiring our Soldiers to be flexible and able to operate in a critical and stressful environment, but our unit has the best leaders and Soldiers in Tennessee, we couldn’t be more ready.”