A community send-off ceremony for an Iowa Army National Guard unit based in Boone will be held at 4 p.m., Thursday, June 5th, at the Boone Middle School Gymnasium, 1640 1st St., Boone. Local officials and Iowa National Guard leadership will participate and the public and media are welcome and encouraged to attend the homecoming ceremony. Approximately 60 Soldiers with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 147th Aviation are being mobilized as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The Soldiers will travel to their mobilization station at Fort Hood, Texas for additional training before deploying to the Central Command theater of operations. It is anticipated that the duration of this deployment will be for approximately one year. Company C flies and maintains UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters.

The unit previously deployed to Kosovo in 2010-11 and for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2006-2007.