National Guard Brigade headquartered in Springfield set for deployment

An Ohio National Guard sustainment brigade headquartered in Springfield was sent off by family and friends Saturday afternoon as it prepares for deployment.

The 371st brigade, made up of soldiers from Springfield and all over Ohio, is headed to Texas for additional training and then will be sent to Southwest Asia. A large crowd cheered and waved Saturday as the men and women marched into the HPER Center on the Wittenberg University campus. Elected officials and military leaders spoke to the group, wishing them well and thanking them for their service.

The brigade will be responsible for supporting other military personnel in the region.

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“When they deploy, they are going to be responsible for everything from beans to bullets, beds to buses,” Ohio Adjutant General Mark Bartman said. “They encompass pretty much the entire spectrum.”

Jason Duly, a member of the 371st, is from northern Ohio but said he spends a lot of time in Springfield.

“We come down once a month for our drill weekends,” he said. “Springfield is great. The community has been very supportive of us. Anytime you go out to eat lunch or dinner or something they are wishing us well.”

He said he and others in the brigade like to spend time at a local sports bar in the city when they are not training. He and his brother are being deployed together, and he said his family is coping.

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“We have an older brother in Ohio and he is kind of taking it the hardest because both of his brothers are leaving,” he said. “My girlfriend is going through everything you expect for a first-time deployment. Sad, worried, scared.”

The 371st brigade is proof that Ohio offers the state’s best to protect the United States, Bartman said.

“They show me the type of people that we have in this great state of Ohio,” he said. “It makes me so proud … to highlight the incredible individuals that we have.”

Col. Gregg Betts, who will lead the brigade to Southwest Asia, said the support shown from family, friends and the community is appreciated.

“Your well wishes and thoughts and prayers means more to us than you’ll ever know as we embark on our mission overseas,” he said. “I want to assure you that we are ready. We are ready to live up to our duties and responsibilities.”

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