VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The North Dakota National Guard (NDNG) held a ceremony to send off members of the 142nd Engineer Battalion being deployed to Fort Bliss, Texas, in support of Joint Task Force North. The joint service command is tasked with supporting federal law enforcement agencies in the “identification and interdiction of suspected criminal activities conducted within and along the approaches to the continental United States.”

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, participated in the ceremony and expressed his gratitude for the members of the unit in Valley City.

“Protecting the homeland is the highest priority of the United States Armed Forces, and no one protects ours better than the soldiers of the North Dakota National Guard,” said Cramer. “Helping send off the heroes of the storied 142nd Engineer Battalion as they deploy for their mission in support of federal law enforcement agencies is an honor of a lifetime, and I get to do it on behalf of grateful North Dakotans and Americans everywhere. As I do for all of our service members and their families, I pray for a successful mission and a safe return home. They are the best of the best, and I look forward to their homecoming.”