Avoyelles bids farewell to ‘heroes’ of 1020th

“Bittersweet” was the word used to describe the celebration of 156 Louisiana National Guard engineers at Avoyelles Public Charter School this past Wednesday.

“Bitter because this is one of the toughest days you will have for some time,” Maj. Gen. Glenn Curtis, the head of the LNG, told family members of those men and women being deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Spartan Shield -- part of the nation’s “War on Terror” mission.

“But it is also sweet because I know the pride you have in your soldier’s willingness to serve their country.”

In addition to members of the Marksville-based 1020th Engineer Company, Guardsmen from units across the state volunteered for the deployment to ensure a full detachment for the mission at hand, Capt. Clint Gleason told the crowd.

“For many years I have heard people say, ‘This community loves the 1020th,’” Gleason said. “As I look across this crowd today, I see that it true.”

Gov. John Bel Edwards also addressed the open-air gathering at the Mansura school, saying “today is to celebrate them,” motioning to the many uniformed Guardsmen seated in the audience.

Edwards said the word “hero” is “put on too many people just because they are rich or famous or a good athlete.” However, he said, the word truly applies to this nation’s soldiers who have volunteered to put themselves in harm’s way to achieve America’s goals.

The 1020th will deploy to Kuwait and possibly “other locations” in that region for nine months.

Curtis said the unit is “a construction engineer unit -- but it can become a ‘combat engineer; unit very quickly.”

The unit will be responsible for constructing buildings, roads, airport runways and other structures to support the military operations in southwest Asia and the Middle East.

Prior to deploying to the Persian Gulf, the Guardsmen will conduct mobilization training at Fort Bliss, Texas.

Spartan Shield is the name given to the military mission in southwest Asia to “counter, protect, defend and prepare” for military action of enemy combatants while also striving to build lasting partnerships with other nations in the Middle East.

The 1020th deployed to Kuwait in 1990 in support of Operation Desert Shield, which became Operation Desert Storm when combat operations began.

Its soldiers have also been activated to serve the country during hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ike and Isaac, during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 and the major floods of 2016.

The unit has conducted numerous overseas deployment training projects, such as building schools and health clinics in several countries, including Germany, Belize, Haiti and Honduras.

“Very few people in this state know how many of their Guardsmen are deployed overseas,” Edwards said after the ceremony. “We have 400 Louisiana National Guard in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. We have men and women in Kuwait, Afghanistan, all over the world in every ‘hot spot.’”

Edwards, a West Point graduate who served as a Ranger officer in the 82nd Airborne Infantry Division, said he believes Louisiana has the best National Guard in the nation, “not only in terms of military readiness and experience, but also in disaster and emergency response.”

After the public ceremony concluded, Edwards met with many of the soldiers being deployed and with family members of those men and women.