Departure Ceremony
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
Tuesday, February 10th 2009
By Jeremy Payne

I spent the afternoon with my 1.5 year old son witnessing the ceremonies & thanking our troops. Attendance had to of topped 6000, and the hugs, tears, laughs, & heartfelt thank-you’s were just as abundant.

The event was held at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium & dinner was graciously served for all in attendance by www.ServingOurTroops.com. In fact, they put on the largest single-seating  meal in the history of the River Centre complex. This is the sixth time since 2004 that this civic group has provided a quality family dinner for the Minnesota National Guard troops. Their efforts to rally together restaurants,  businesses and volunteers, merits high appreciation  from the troops.

Ceremony events earlier in the day included all the normal military Formalities, as well as music by several 34th Infantry Division Bands, G.B. Leighton, an eloquent speech by Governor Tim Pawlenty, and high praise from Major General Rick Nash.

More than 1,000 Soldiers from the Minnesota National Guard will depart Minnesota next week for a one-year mission to provide the command, control and in-depth staff analysis for a 16,000-person multinational division in Iraq. The 34th Red Bull Infantry Division will operate in eight of Iraq's 18 provinces, an area roughly the size of Minnesota.

Find out more about the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division