July 17, 2023 3:00 a.m.
On Friday, Governor Tina Kotek and Major General Michael Stencel, Adjutant General, Oregon hosted a mobilization ceremony in Salem for approximately ten members of the Oregon National Guard’s A (-) 641st Aviation.
A release from the Oregon Military Department said the unit will provide fixed-wing capabilities in support of Combined Joint Task Force – Horns of Africa and AFRICOM from Djibouti and throughout the AFRICOM Theater of operations.
During the ceremony held at the State Capital Library, Governor Kotek emphasized their long history of various missions, with families and co-workers in attendance. Kotek said, “This group has responded to active duty missions, for numerous wildfires, COVID-19 response, they have found missing people, lost hikers…they have many stories to tell”.
Unit members will first travel to Ft. Bliss, Texas for approximately two weeks of training prior to deploying overseas. The release said the unit has a long history of deploying overseas supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2007 and later deploying to support Operation New Dawn in Iraq in 2010 while some members of the unit deployed to Afghanistan to support Operation Enduring Freedom. Their most recent mobilization was in 2017 when they deployed to Kuwait to support Operation Enduring Freedom followed by Operation Spartan Shield.