Minnesota Army Reserve Support Group deploys to Fort Bliss

Members of the Minnesota Army Reserve said farewell to friends and family Sunday afternoon.

The 644th Regional Support Group is scheduled to arrive at Fort Bliss in Texas in December for a year-long deployment. There was a mobilization ceremony at the Minneapolis–Saint Paul Joint Air Reserve Station to wish them well.

"The support entails us making sure that these soldiers and service members that are deploying are sufficient in their medical and anything that would hinder them from being effective in a combat mission," Sgt. Maj. Lamont Lewis, U.S. Army Reserve, said.

At Fort Bliss, the group will facilitate and provide administrative and operational support for service members deploying to and from both overseas and stateside locations.

Sgt. Chaojun Fu is about to start her second deployment, having recently returned from the Middle East.

"Three months isn’t long. I feel like I didn’t have enough time since I’m like trying to build a family and I’ve been trying to work on my career, like civilian-side, too," she said. "Still, going to this Texas deployment will… keep me financially stable, at least for the next year."

She plans to keep working on her education while in Texas.

Army Reserve Ambassador Col. Retired Steven Carter stressed that an active service member is used to lengthy deployments, as being in the army is their full-time job. But, a year-long deployment for the reserve can be unexpected.

"I just want to say on behalf of the chief of the Army Reserve and on behalf of the American public, thank you very much for what you’re doing," he said. "Thank you for the sacrifice you’re making for a year. Leaving your jobs, leaving your home. And thank you to the families for supporting them.

"So if you remember nothing else from this little ceremony, remember two words: ‘thank’ and ‘you.’"