Louisiana National Guard sends third rotation of soldiers to US-Mexico border
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — The third rotation of 50 Louisiana National Guard soldiers was sent to the Texas border in support of Operation Lone Star.
This next rotation of troops is set to replace the second rotation that arrived in April. According to a Thursday, May 16 release, each rotation lasts 30 days.
Back in March, Gov. Jeff Landry signed a bill into law that funded the mobilization of LANG troops to aid Texas in the U.S.-Mexico border crisis. The $3 million approved covers pay, allowances, transportation, lodging and meals. Officials said soldiers would be helping the Texas National Guard with patrols alongside the border.
"Things are beginning to get warm in Texas as the temperature rises," said Capt. Zach Neely, commander of LANG's Task Force Lone Star. "Besides the challenge of the heat, the mission is going smoothly. Communication between Louisiana and Texas is still open and productive."
Neely said the last rotation of soldiers from the 61st Troop Command are "eager to support."
"They are leaning forward to prepare their soldiers and be ready to hit the ground running," said Neely. "They will benefit from all the lessons learned from rotations one and two, I'm excited to see how they perform."