Airborne division to deploy from Ft. Campbell for first time in 80 years

Cindy Murphy - 6 July 2022

On Wednesday evening hundreds of Screaming Eagle Soldiers will depart U.S. Army base Fort Campbell for their nine-month deployment to the European Command theater of operations to assure NATO allies and deter Russian aggression in the region.

The army reports that embers of the division began deploying on June 27, marking the first time the division has deployed to Europe in nearly 80 years.

“We’re going to check the Russian influence and we’re going to impact the Russians’ decision-making for probably the next 10-20 years,” said Col. John Lubas, deputy commanding officer for operations, 101st Airborne Division, in a pre-deployment briefing. “We’re going to do this with all our partners in NATO, the European Union and the West, and this is an incredibly important mission.”

Lubas said the Soldiers will contribute to that mission by representing the 101st with excellence in training exercises across Europe.

“The first couple of weeks are going to be really aggressive as you figure out what’s going on, what your mission’s going to be and where you’re going to get settled in,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Veronica Knapp, division senior enlisted adviser. “But make no mistake, Russia and our NATO allies are watching us. They’ll be looking at our level of motivation, our level of discipline, how we look and how we sound as we get off that plane.”

In all, approximately 4,700 Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division will deploy to locations across Europe.

The 101st Airborne Division and the 101st Airborne Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion cased their Colors in a ceremony to officially mark their deployment Tuesday.

© Provided by WZTV - Nashville Airborne division to deploy from Ft. Campbell for first time in 80 years

Narrating the color casing was Staff Sgt. Joel Reyes, who remarked, "The very soul of a military unit is symbolized in the Colors under which it fights.

[The Colors lead] the unit into battle. 'When in action, resolve not to part with the Colors, but rather part you’re your own life.' Today, the Colors serve as a binding symbol of continuity and point of inspiration for the future. Commanders and Soldiers come and go, but the Colors will remain steadfast.

The Colors under which a unit fights represent the history, honor, and esprit de corps of the soldiers of that unit. The casing of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Colors and headquarters and Headquarters Battalion Colors, symbolize their departure from Fort Campbell, Kentucky."

The units Colors will remain cased until they return from the European Command theater of operations.

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