The Dyersburg based 168th Military Police Battalion will deploy next Sunday for a year-long assignment at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
The Tennessee National Guard unit is replacing the U.S. Army Reserves’ 382nd Military Police Battalion from Westover, Massachusetts as part of a regular rotation of forces. The 168th will be supporting police and security operations at Guantanamo Bay.
Prior to deployment, the 168th will name the Task Force it will lead after First Lieutenant James Gardner, a Dyersburg native and Medal of Honor recipient who was killed in action while deployed to Vietnam in 1966.
Next Sunday, December 1st at 2:00, family, friends, and media are invited to attend the naming and departure ceremony for the 168th at the Dyersburg National Guard Armory where Lieutenant Colonel Mark Tyndall will be honoring First Lieutenant Gardner and his family before the unit departs to Fort Bliss, Texas, for additional mobilization training before arriving in Cuba.
