Guard Members Say Good-Bye

Family and friends gathered to say goodbye to 39 members of the 1175 Transportation Company of the Tennessee National Guard Saturday. The guardsmen traveled to Camp Shelby, Miss. They will then undergo training and will then travel to Bahrain, which is located near the western shores of the Persian Gulf comprised of 33 small islands west of Saudi Arabia for nine months. The 39 soldiers are from three detachments, Tullahoma, Brownsville and Jacksboro. For many of the soldiers this will be their second or third deployment to the Middle East. Among those in attendance at the new National Guard Armory on Highway 55 was Brig. General Terry Ethridge, who is joint chief of staff of the Tennessee National Guard. Mayor Lane Curlee wished the guardsmen the best of luck. The guardsmen gathered in an area at the rear of the armory with their family and loved ones to say goodbye. Second Lt. Jessica Vallely, who will lead the 39 soldiers while in Bahrain, gave them their orders and then dismissed them to board a waiting bus. The bus left the armory led by a patrol car from the Tullahoma Police Department, along with Fire Chief Richard Shasteen and Mayor Lane Curlee.