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Air Force

Arizona National Guard Soldiers Deploy to Middle East

by Aerotech News •
Arizona Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Orlando S. Huicochea, with A Company, 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion, holds his six-month-old son Ezra while spending time with his family before leaving on an overseas deployment May 2, 2021, at Papago Park Military Reservation. Huicochea is one of more than 80 Citizen Soldiers who will leave their families and loved ones behind to support Operation Inherit Resolve and Operation Spartan Shield for nine months in the Middle East. (Arizona Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brian A. Barbour)

Arizona Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Orlando S. Huicochea, with A Company, 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion, holds his six-month-old son Ezra while spending time with his family before leaving on an overseas deployment May 2, 2021, at Papago Park Military Reservation. Huicochea is one of more than 80 Citizen Soldiers who will leave their families and loved ones behind to support Operation Inherit Resolve and Operation Spartan Shield for nine months in the Middle East.

Arizona Army National Guard Pvt. Gilbert J. Esqueda spends time with his five-year-old daughter Naomi at Papago Park Military Reservation May 2, 2021, before having to say goodbye to her for nine months. Esqueda and the other Soldiers assigned to A Company, 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion, left behind their loved ones shortly after a sendoff ceremony to Support Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Spartan Shield in the Middle East. (Arizona Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brian A. Barbour)
Brig. Gen. Joseph R. Baldwin, Arizona Army National Guard’s land component commander, speaks to Soldiers of A Company, 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion during a sendoff ceremony May 2, 2021 at Papago Park Military Reservation in Phoenix. Approximately 88 Soldiers from the signal company will travel to Fort Hood, Texas where they will mobilize and deploy to Kuwait in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Spartan Shield for nine months. (Arizona Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brian A. Barbour)
Command Sgt. Maj. Scott M. Flint, Arizona Army National Guard command sergeant major, presents 1st Sgt. Chivona Cruz, A Company, 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion first sergeant, with an Arizona State flag during a sendoff ceremony for her unit May 2, 2021, at Papago Park Military Reservation in Phoenix. Presentation of the state flag to A Co., 422nd which is deploying to the Middle East for a nine-month mission, symbolizes trust the Arizona National Guard has placed in the unit’s leadership to return their Soldiers back home safely. (Arizona Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brian A. Barbour)
Arizona Army National Guard Soldiers with A Company, 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion stand in formation, surrounded by family, friends and guests during a sendoff ceremony May 2, 2021 at Papago Park Military Reservation in Phoenix. A Co. 422nd ESB, which mission is to established and manage communication and information systems for the command and control of combined armed forces across the battlefield, will support Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Spartan Shield during their nine-month deployment to the Middle East. (Arizona Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brian A. Barbour)
Arizona Army National Guard Soldiers with A Company, 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion, salute the U.S. flag during the playing of the National Anthem at a sendoff ceremony May 2, 2021 at Papago Park Military Reservation in Phoenix. The unit, which is comprised of more than 80 Soldiers, will deploy to the Middle East where they will support Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Spartan Shield for the next nine months. (Arizona Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brian A. Barbour)
An Arizona Army National Guard Pvt. Bryan Estradas from A Company, 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion hugs his mother before a sendoff ceremony for his unit May 2, 2021, at Papago Park Military Reservation in Phoenix. Soldiers with the unit, which is assigned to 158th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 198th Regional Support Group, will travel to the Middle East for nine months in support of Operation Inherent Freedom and Operation Spartan Shield. (Arizona Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brian A. Barbour)
Arizona Army National Guard Cpl. Lehy Martinez, with A Company, 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion, holds up his four-year-old son Ezra while family members take photos at a sendoff ceremony May 2, 2021, at Papago Park Military Reservation. Martinez and more 80 than other Arizona Guard Soldiers will leave families and loved ones behind as they head to the Middle East for nine months in support Operation Inherit Resolve and Operation Spartan Shield. (Arizona Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brian A. Barbour)
Arizona Army National Guard Sgt. Gustavo Calderon holds his daughters Delilah, 6, and Ximema, 5, while sitting with his wife Brisqui and son Julio, 4, May 2, 2021, at Papago Park Military Reservation in Phoenix. Caldreron, an automated logistical specialist with A Company, 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion, spent his last few hours in Arizona with family before attending a sendoff ceremony and leaving on a nine-month deployment to the middle east. (Arizona Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brian A. Barbour)
Arizona Army National Guard Spc. Samuel Rodriguez, a multichannel transmission operator with A Company, 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion, softly kisses his two-month-old son’s head, while spending his last few hours in Arizona with family May 2, 2021, at Papago Park Military Reservation in Phoenix. This is Rodriguez’s first deployment away from his family, where he and his unit will support Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Spartan Shield in Middle East for nine months. (Arizona Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brian A. Barbour)

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