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The ceremony sent off 30 members of the Florida National Guard’s 3d Battalion of the 116th Field Artillery Regiment.
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Those in attendance included City Commissioner Mike Sparkman, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, Rep. Lawrence McClure and Plant City Mayor Rick Lott.
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This flag will travel with the newly-deployed unit as its members travel the world.
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The ceremony gave families a chance to say goodbye to their loved ones before their deployment.
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Gov. Rick Scott greeted each guardsman after the ceremony.
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Prominent members of the Plant City community speak with Gov. Rick Scott following the ceremony.
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The ceremony was held at the Historic Milton E. Hull Armory on the Florida Strawberry Festival grounds.
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Guardsmen spent some time with their loved ones before leaving the festival grounds for deployment.
Thirty members of the Florida National Guard’s 3d Battalion of the 116th Field Artillery Regiment were sent off to deployment from Plant City Wednesday morning.
The men and women of the state’s National Guard left for South-Central Asia after a ceremony featuring Governor Rick Scott at the Historic Milton E. Hull Armory, located at the Florida Strawberry Festival Grounds. The guardsmen were then escorted from the grounds to Tampa International Airport by members of the Plant City Police Department. They are being deployed for approximately a year in support of Operation Freedom Sentinel.
