Maryland National Guard Soldiers Leave For Deployment In Middle East
LINTHICUM, Md. (WJZ) -- Soldiers from Maryland's National Guard are now on deployment in the Middle East.
Around 130 members of the 58th and 629th expeditionary military intelligence brigades said goodbye to their loved ones Tuesday morning. This is the first time the team is being deployed.
They are the first group of soldiers from the unit to deploy in support of combat operations to fight the global War on Terror.
Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Larry Hogan visited Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Tuesday to send them off.
"(I'm) really sorry I can't shake all your hands but I'll give you one of these and tell you good luck. I know you're going to perform admirably as you always do," Hogan said.
Due to the pandemic, the send-off looked a bit different than normal.
"Because of COVID-19 and social distancing considerations, we're doing a rolling farewell," one person said.
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