Defense Visual Information Distribution Service: 650th Regional Support Group holds farewell ceremony

SLOAN, NV – The 650th Regional Support Group, U.S. Army Reserve, held a farewell ceremony Saturday morning at the George W. Dunaway U.S. Army Reserve Center here, in preparation for its upcoming deployment to the Middle East.

The unit is first headed to Fort Hood, Texas for several weeks of training before flying overseas to provide administrative and logistics support to various bases under Operation Spartan Shield.

“Our job is to ensure that forward elements have the freedom and resources to focus on their mission, because we’ve taken care of the infrastructure, services, and systems that make operations possible,” said Col. Choli C. Ence, commanding officer of the 650th Regional Support Group.

Special guests at the ceremony included U.S. Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., and Alanna Simpson, a representative from the office of U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev. About 78 deploying soldiers and 70 of their family members and guests also attended.

Lee expressed her support for the families while their soldiers are deployed, stating “my office stands ready to serve you.” Lee also affirmed her admiration for members of the unit, “when I look at these soldiers I see strength, patriotism, resilience, leadership and excellence.”

Afterwards, food was served to the soldiers and guests in attendance while they had a chance to socialize before their departure.