727th Trans Co. Receives Mobilization Order


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727th Transportation Company gets order to mobilize

RAPID CITY – The 727th Transportation Company of the South Dakota National Guard received notice that the unit will be activated for duty in support of Operation Noble Eagle/Enduring Freedom. The 727th, located in Elk Point, Brookings, and Watertown, along with Detachment 1, 1742nd Transportation Company from Flandreau, will be activated on Jan. 21, 2003.

"The soldiers will report to their home stations, in a federal status, on January 21st to make final preparations for their onward movement to the mobilization station," commented Brigadier General Mike Gorman, South Dakota’s Assistant Adjutant General. "The 727th is a new unit to the South Dakota National Guard, but the members of the unit have a vast amount of experience and are fully capable of accomplishing their transportation mission." "We do not have specific mission information and destination for this unit at this time."

Formed just two years ago, the 142-member unit is the latest addition to the South Dakota National Guard. Because the unit is new, selected soldiers from the 1742nd Transportation Company of Flandreau and Sioux Falls were activated to bring the unit to full strength.

"We’ve had time to prepare and feel confident that we are ready," said Capt. Robert DeJong, 727th commander who served in Desert Storm. "The soldiers accepted the news quite well and unit morale is high."

The 727th is equipped with the new Palletized Load System (PLS) trucks and trailers that provide state-of-the-art transportation capability with an 33-ton carrying capacity that can handle a wide range of cargo without the need for forklifts or other material handling equipment.

Of the three National Guard units placed on alert in the past two weeks, the 109th Engineer Battalion from Sturgis is the only unit awaiting further notice of possible mobilization.

  • More than 100 members of the 665th Maintenance Company of Mitchell and Rapid City were mobilized last week and will provide security at Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City and Joe Foss Field in Sioux Falls.
  • South Dakota’s Army National Guard consists of 3,400 soldiers with 57 units located in 31 communities. South Dakota’s Air National Guard has 1,060 airmen in 14 units, all located at Joe Foss Field in Sioux Falls.
  • Currently, 55 Army Guard soldiers from Rapid City’s 155th Engineer Detachment are serving in Kuwait. They arrived in Kuwait in early July and could serve up to a year there.

 

  • When mobilized, units and soldiers will be ordered to active duty initially for not more than one year. Under federal statute, the Secretary of the Army may direct up to two years.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION – Contact Mr. Roger C. Anderson at (605) 737-6268 (530-7876 cell) or SFC Don Matthews at (605) 737-6234 (390-3996 cell). South Dakota National Guard Public Affairs Office is located at Camp Rapid in Rapid City.