Guardlife - Volume 30, Number 2

Table of Contents

 Guardlife Staff
 TAG's Message
 CSM's Message
 177th Supports OEF
 Combat Veteran to Head NJANG
 'Faithful and Brave' Arrive
 1-114th Deploys to Arrabian Penninsula
 253rd TC Back from Iraq
 Mobilization Page
 News Guard Families Can Use
 Salute the Troops
 NJNG Newsmakers
 Jersey Air Guardsman Wins Services Award
 Photos from Iraq
 Finance Battalion Update
 Family Appreciation Day
 Short Rounds
 NJ Places 17th in NG Marathon
 Army and Air Enlisted Promotions
 In Memoriam

 Download PDF Edition
 Return to Publications
 Return to DMAVA

113th Arrive in Guantanamo Bay'Faithful and Brave' Arrive in Guantanamo Bay

Photo and story by Sgt. Jolene Staker, Joint Task Force Public Affairs, Guantanamo Bay


Members of 2nd Battalion, 113th Infantry Regiment, arrived at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, ready to assume responsibility for the Joint Task Force (JTF) perimeter security.

“It’s a great opportunity for the battalion,” said Lt. Col. Patrick Dacey, Battalion Commander. “It’s a challenge but the battalion is ready for it.”
The battalion is ready because they have been anticipating a mission for about a year and a half. The location changed but the desire to serve did not.

“It’s a chance for us to not only give something back but to take the years of training and experience that we’ve had and put them to use,” said Maj. Arthur DiBenedetto, battalion executive officer.

Soldiers have been training diligently to validate basic infantry skills and individual tasks at Fort Dix. Collective task training there ended in a five-day mobilization training exercise which was a live scenario based specifically on the JTF mission.

“They’ve been training very hard, training for a long time and they are ready to get this mission on,” said 1st Sgt. George Floyd, first sergeant of C Company.

The next step in their training is the left-seat/right-seat training with members of the 1st Battalion, 181st Infantry Regiment.

“They are going to train you to standard,” said Col. Nelson Cannon, Commander, Joint Detention Operations Group. “I know you will take it to the next level and you will leave here better than you came.”
Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 113th Infantry Regiment are ready for the next step.

“We’re looking forward to getting our on-the-ground training and being set in the direction that we need to go to complete our mission,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph Tatem.

The Battalion has members with deploy-ment experience and one soldier, Cpl. Daniel Torres of D Company, served in Guantanamo Bay as a translator during the refugee mission in 1994 for four months.

He shared with his men what challenges he knew Guantanamo would hold for them.

“It’s hot and it will take them a while to get climatized,” said Cpl. Torres. “I tell them to drink a lot of water.”