CONCORD, N.H. –
For the second time in six years, New Hampshire Army National Guard’s mountain infantry company is deploying to the Middle East in support of Operation Spartan Shield.
More than 130 soldiers from Milford-based Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain) departed New Hampshire on June 3. They will spend the next month at Fort Bliss, Texas before heading overseas as part of a security force to protect personnel and equipment stationed throughout the U.S. Central Command area of operations.
They will be prepared for any contingency operations to support U.S. allies.
“Spirits have been high,” said company commander Capt. Christopher Carney. “A lot of these guys have done this before. The new guys seem eager and excited, and you got the people who aren’t happy to leave. It’s a little bit of a mix.”
For Sgt. Hunter Gotshall, a team leader, “it’s just a case of going with the flow.”
“This isn’t my first rodeo,” he said. “I was over in Eastern Europe, right as the invasion of Ukraine kicked off. My main priority is making sure everybody’s safe and sound, and they have no issues that are hanging over them.”
The soldiers, who just completed an annual training to certify their mission set, are deploying as part of the 3/172nd. Headquartered in Vermont, the battalion includes units from four other states, Maine Massachusetts, Connecticut and Colorado. The battalion held a sendoff ceremony last week at Camp Ethan Allen Training Site in Jericho, Vermont.
“Thanks for what you do,” said NH Adjutant Gen. David Mikolaities, who spoke with the soldiers prior to their departure from Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. “Be worthy of wearing the uniform, keep your integrity intact, and come back the same way.”
Since 2004, Mountain Company has deployed three times to the CENTCOM AOR, earning multiple awards to include the Valorous Unit Award for a 2010 deployment to Afghanistan. The CENTCOM AOR spans 21 nations across the Middle East, Central Asia and parts of South Asia and Northeast Africa.
The deployment is expected to last 10 months