The consensus is that any brave man or woman that join the military to defend the United States of America is a true hero. In a few weeks, 72 soldiers that are in the Fort 97 Headquarters in Salem are going to be going to be deployed overseas for nine months.

“The soldiers will be working in Poland, Romania and occasionally in Latvia. Along with thousands of other American soldiers – active guard and reserves,” United States Army Europe Commanding General Ben Hodges said. “They are there to deter aggression and you do that by demonstrating the capability and the will to use it.”

Hodges is responsible for all U.S. Army forces in Europe. “We call what they are going to be doing ‘Atlantic Resolve’. That’s the name of the mission in which they are being deployed,” he said. Atlantic Resolve is a demonstration of continued U.S. commitment to collective security through a series of actions designed to reassure NATO allies and partners of America’s dedication to enduring peace and stability in the region in light of the Russian intervention in Ukraine.

“The reserve component is so important because about half of the Army is in the National Guard or the Reserves. We can’t do anything strategic or over an extended period of time if we don’t have the reserves participating,” Hodges said.

Nobody gets rich just by being in the Army Reserves those individuals still make significant sacrifices to fulfill their obligations. To get quality men and women to be in the Army Reserves, employers have to unequivocally support them.

“There are 72 families that are going to be affected by this. Whether these soldiers are married or have kids, they are going to be gone for nine months. They aren’t going to be in  Afghanistan. This isn’t Iraq,” Gen. Hodges said. “But nonetheless they are going to gone for nine months to perform a strategic mission for the United States. I appreciate the families encouraging their soldiers to serve.”