Approximately 270 soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, left Fort Bragg late Wednesday to join Operation Inherent Resolve. A total of 1,700 members of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team will be deployed to Iraq to join in the fight against ISIS in the coming weeks. The friends and family members of these brave service members flocked to the base on Wednesday to give their loved ones a proper send off. Many of them taking to social media to show their support.
This was the first of six flights scheduled over the next two weeks. Each flight will carry approximately 250 to 350 paratroopers to the Middle East. A majority of the Paratroopers will be stationed near Kuwait. They will perform in support roles: carrying out air strikes, intelligence, artillery barrages and other forms of aid.
Brigade leaders commented on the importance of allowing the paratroopers to spend time with their families during the holidays before the strenuous nine-month deployment. Brigade commander Col. J. Patrick Work told reporters that the soldiers will spend several weeks transitioning with 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, the unit they are slated to replace. The deployment is the culmination of months of communication and work from both units.
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