Arkansas National Guardsmen celebrate with family ahead of deployment to Romania

PULASKI COUNTY, Ark. – More than 30 National Guardsmen from Arkansas are soon being deployed to Romania for nine months.

At a deployment ceremony hosted at Camp Robinson, the members of the 216th Military Police Company being deployed were sent off in style.

Music, promotions, reenlisting and awards all accompanied the farewell, one of the last times the soldiers will be in Arkansas for months. For Captain William Winn, it’s his first deployment.

“Overall, I think we’re very excited and ready to do our part,” explained Winn, accompanied by his wife, Heaven.

Winn is just one of many headed to Romania to strengthen alliances and assist in keeping the peace in eastern Europe, a mission that’s more important now than ever.

“The 871st troop battalion is getting ready to send their 216th military police company, one platoon, over to Romania for a 9-month deployment,” Col. Anthony Sanders explained.

While the event was special for the service members honored, it was also special because of who was in the audience: the family and friends of those about to leave, celebrating their loved ones and getting ready to say goodbye.

“To have their families here to witness this, it means a lot to the service members as well as their families,” Sanders said.

Families like the Winns, who said they were honored to do their duty even if the parting is bittersweet.

Company members have known for months they would be headed overseas and have been training for weeks on base. The Guardsmen will first head to Fort Bliss in Texas for mobilization before flying over to Romania.

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