Soldiers get family time before deployment
LEXINGTON, Tenn. — An organization of US war veterans held a picnic for soldiers that are preparing to deploy overseas.
The 251st Military Police Company in Lexington, along with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, also known as the VFW, held a picnic for the National Guard on Monday.
The event took place at Beech Lake in Lexington.
The picnic was held for the soldiers and their families to spend time together before they are deployed.
“So today is our family day for the 251st MP Company. We are heading on a year-long deployment, and we wanted to get all the families together to send everybody off, all the soldiers,” said Brennan Carter, a Captain in the National Guard.
The National Guard will be heading to Fort Bliss in Texas on Thursday, May 18 for a month.
They will then deploy overseas to Romania and Bulgaria for a year.
“The VFW has been nice enough to come out here and provide food and grill for us, and Beech Lake is a great spot for family days. And today we decided to have a pop up shower,” Carter said.
Chris Dangler, a veteran with the VFW, said they wanted to host a farewell for the soldiers and family to enjoy.
“Along with the Savannah Post 4606, we sponsor this National Guard unit here in Lexington. They’re deploying on the 18th, leaving here to Fort Bliss, Texas. And from there, onto Europe somewhere,” Dangler said.
The event was cut short due to showers and thunderstorms. However, the soldiers and families appreciate the support received.
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