'It's very emotional': Pa. National Guard troops deploying to train Ukraine soldiers

Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Hensley originally joined the Pennsylvania National Guard for college money, but September will mark 23 years of service to his country. The Denver, Pa., resident was even deployed with the Guard’s 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team in Iraq in 2009, yet still remained in the service after he returned home to his family.

"I found an enjoyment in it. A camaraderie in it," he said. "I just really enjoyed the atmosphere and the training, and obviously the college money was a nice bonus with that."

But as Hensley prepares for a second deployment overseas, he now has a 2-year-old daughter, Cora, who will be growing up for the year he is away.

"It's very hard to describe, in all honesty," he said. "My wife knows I'm not good with sharing feelings, and I had to write her an email and sent it the other day ... about how how it's very difficult to leave her. It's very emotional."

More than 150 soldiers with the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team and their family members were recognized during a deployment ceremony at Strickler Field in Fort Indiantown Gap on Wednesday, Aug. 21. These soldiers will serve a year-long deployment in Germany, supporting Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine.

Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine is the name given to the mission of training the Armed Forces of Ukraine, according to its website. The 7th Army Training Command oversees the JMTG-U mission, currently manned by Task Force Thunder, 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team, Mississippi Army National Guard.

Col. Christopher Costello, commander of the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, will be going overseas to help facilitate some of the training of the Ukrainian army. Training will include basic combat skills, individual movement techniques, and troop leading procedures at the platoon and company level.

"We've really put together a good team," he said. "We've had to build it from throughout the commonwealth. But we've really got a good mix of people, we've got the right skill set, we've analyzed what we've need to do for the mission and I think we've found a good job of determining what we have to train on and being ready to execute the mission."

The unit will also have a mayor's cell, which Costello said would provide services including getting fuel to the right place, operating buses that will transport soldiers to the right ranges and making sure ammunition is being delivered on time.

"Within every unit we have our combat forces, but we really need the logistical support to enable those missions," he said. "So really that's what we're doing there, providing the training management for what's going to happen there and we're providing logistical support for that training."

This deployment will be 1st Lt. Sam Mancuso's first overseas. He said it feels like "a childhood dream to serve our country." The youngest of seven in his family, five of his siblings have served and three have been deployed overseas.

"We've been training a lot for the past year, training with our groups on the different training lessons and instructions on what we will be teaching," the Lancaster County resident said. "So I'm excited to instruct, but also excited to learn."

Family contact

As a military wife, Kaitlyn Hensley said the responsibility when her husband is overseas is to make sure the family is stable. But it's also to make sure things are fun and exciting for her daughter as they count the days of Sgt. Hensley's return.

"It's hard to accept, but it's always something I knew would be possible," she said. "Especially when you have a military family, you know what the cost is. ... But we really just rely on the support that we have at home. I think it's really important to have somebody you can trust and help you out, especially during tough times."

The military has organizations like the Soldier Family Readiness Group , a support network designed to help families as soldiers are deployed. Costello said the group does well with coordinating with the families if they have any issues while their spouse is on deployment.

"We've had issues where people have had a water heater blow up, and we had people get out and help them with that," he said. "So as much as the soldier is going away, there's always going to be a support here that can help them."

Because of the time difference with Germany, Kaitlyn Hensley is setting up a private YouTube channel for the family. Sgt. Hensley described the experience of leaving his 2-year-old very difficult, and he doesn't want to miss a thing.

"It is hard as a wife, because you never want to say goodbye," Kaitlyn Hensley said. "But it's only for a little while. It's kind of like a 'See you later.'"

Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on X at @DAMattToth .

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: 'It's very emotional': Pa. National Guard troops deploying to train Ukraine soldiers