One hundred and twenty New York Army National Guard soldiers assigned to the 204th Engineer Battalion recently took part in mobilization ceremonies at the armory in Binghamton, New York, for a federal deployment to the southern border.
The battalion's Headquarters and Headquarters Company held a ceremony Oct. 8, while families of the Forward Support Company held their official send-off Oct. 11.
The two ceremonies marked the beginning of a yearlong mobilization to Texas in support of U.S. Border Patrol.
Called Operation Ardent Vanguard, the U.S. Northern Command mission supports the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Army forces provide support through border defense, detection, monitoring and infrastructure support along the southern border.
The Forward Support Company provides logistics support, including maintenance, fuel transportation, supplies and materials to the 204th Engineer Battalion.
The Headquarters and Headquarters Company will provide mission command for the Army task force operating in the region, with Army Lt. Col. Kevin O'Reilly, battalion commander, serving as the task force commander.
Soldiers in both companies have spent 12 months preparing for the deployment.
Speaking to the soldiers and their families, O'Reilly said the Binghamton-based National Guard units have a history of service going back to the Civil War.
O'Reilly connected that legacy of service to the battalion's upcoming mission, emphasizing the importance of supporting national security efforts along the border.
"This is a long mission; stressors will come up on mission and at home," he said. "Look to your left and right. We are a team, and we are going to help each other."
O'Reilly urged members of the unit to remain connected and support one another through difficult circumstances.
"Don't internalize and think you are alone," he said. "I charge you to look out for each other. No matter what we face, we will overcome."
During the Headquarters and Headquarters Company ceremony, O'Reilly and Army Command Sgt. Maj. Jay Symonds, the battalion's senior enlisted leader, cased the battalion colors.
The military tradition symbolizes the unit's transition to a deployed status while preserving the history, honors and legacy represented by its colors.
The 204th Engineer Battalion has 700 soldiers located at armories in Binghamton, Kingston, Horseheads, Walton and Cortlandt Manor, New York.
In 2025, the New York National Guard deployed the headquarters detachment of the 104th Military Police Battalion and the 442nd Military Police Company on a similar support mission.
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