HARRISBURG – More than 500 soldiers with the PA National Guard’s 28th Infantry Division are headed to the Middle East. Soldiers with the division’s Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion are leaving their homes and families for a year-long deployment serving in support of Operation Spartan Shield and U.S. Central Command’s mission of increasing regional security and stability in support of enduring U.S. interests. Maj. Gen. Mark McCormack, Commanding General of the 28th Infantry Division said, “As you can see the world is a pretty volatile place right now, but the presence of American soldiers helps to calm things wherever that volatility happens to be. We have an interest in the region, we have partners in the region, and our deployment is to reassure partners.” When there, they will become the headquarters element of Task Force Spartan, the U.S. military posture in Southwest Asia that aims to strengthen U.S. defense relationships and build partner capacities.
