A mobilization ceremony for Task Force Jungleer, consisting of approximately 400 soldiers from the 41st Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the Oregon National Guard, is scheduled for Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.
A release from the Oregon Military Department said the group being deployed also has elements of the 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry Battalion, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
The 41st IBCT Commander Colonel Eric Riley is encouraging supporters to recognize and honor the soldiers being deployed to Kosovo, and their families that are preparing for that deployment as well.
Major Chris Clyne of the Guard said while Riley is from Roseburg, most members of the group being deployed are based in the Clackamas area.
Scheduled speakers at the mobilization ceremony include Oregon Governor Kate Brown and Oregon National Guard Major General Michael E. Stencel, the Adjutant General for Oregon.
The total deployment is the second largest deployment of the brigade since World War II, following the 2009 Iraq deployment.
The 41st IBCT is an organization made up of 3,000 soldiers consisting of five Oregon battalions and two out of state battalions, which come from New Mexico and Washington. The brigade has already deployed four separate task forces around the globe, starting in September of 2019, with a total numbering 1,400 soldiers.