Soldiers begin Camp Shelby stay
After being activated over a week and a half ago, I Troop, McMinnville’s National Guard unit, has settled into the heat and humidity of Camp Shelby, Miss.
I Troop is joined at the southern Mississippi base by more than 3,000 other soldiers of the Tennessee-based 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, whose units began arriving June 14 and will continue to do so through Tuesday.
Most local soldiers arrived at Camp Shelby last Thursday and Friday and were especially appreciative of the send-off they received from the National Guard Armory in McMinnville Thursday morning. Several soldiers sent word through their parents or spouses that they were touched by the overwhelming show of support. Those parents and spouses, in turn, passed such comments along to the Standard.
After in-processing, the units will begin a rigorous training regimen to include weapons familiarization and qualification, military operation in urban terrain, and security training, in addition to conducting other tactical and operational missions and scenarios, said Tennessee National Guard spokesperson Randy Harris.
The 278th will remain at Camp Shelby for approximately three months before moving to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., for additional training. The regiment is expected to depart for Iraq in December. Its members could be activated for up to two years.
Tennessee’s largest National Guard combat force, the 278th is one of only two Armored Cavalry Regiments in the U.S. Army. Equipped primarily with M1A1 tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles, the regiment’s war mission is one of combat support, mainly in the areas of reconnaissance, surveillance and security.