Some members of the Arizona Army and Air National Guard will be stationed at the U.S. Navy Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The unit will be at the base for a nine-month mission.
Twenty Arizona guard members left the state this morning for training at Fort Dix, N.J. before they go to Guantanamo Bay.
Guard spokesman Major Gabe Johnson said the 123rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment will deploy to the base known for its detention facility that holds suspected terrorists.
“They are broadcast journalists and print journalists, photo journalists, our public information communicators," Johnson said. "They are going there to support the mission at Guantanamo Bay, through what their capabilities are, which is mass communication."
Johnson said the guard journalists will be telling the stories of the detainees held at Guantanamo and about the military tribunals that happen there.
The Guard held a send-off ceremony Tuesday at Papago Park Military Reservation in Phoenix for the unit, which is making its third overseas deployment in 10 years.