Louisiana National Guard finishes third deployment at Texas border

By Spc. Duncan Foote, Louisiana National Guard Public Affairs Office

NEW ORLEANS – The Louisiana National Guard concluded its third rotation to support Operation Lone Star. OLS has helped reduce illegal border crossings along segments of the Texas border. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott formally requested the Louisiana National Guard’s assistance for this operation in February 2024.

Louisiana, one of many states that pledged to assist with the operation, provided three rotations of roughly 50 National Guard Soldiers led by a static command team for the border security mission.

Capt. Zach Neely, commander of LANG’s Task Force Lone Star, and 1st Sgt. Darron Murray, LANG Task Force Lone Star first sergeant, praised the Soldiers for the successful completion of the mission.

“For 90 days straight, 24 hours a day, there were Louisiana Soldiers on the border maintaining security,” said Neely. “Leadership was deliberate with sending Soldiers with the correct skills for this type of mission, and I could tell these excellent Soldiers were handpicked for this mission.”

“The Soldiers from the 61st TC did an excellent job,” Murray said. “The non-commissioned officers stepped up and took excellent care of their Soldiers and are a main reason why we had no major issues and everyone got home safely.”

“The Texas National Guard was a very welcoming and gracious host,” stated Neely. “They truly took us under their wing and treated us as one of their own.”

The Guardsmen of the LANG executed patrols and took measures to prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal behavior, demonstrating unwavering diligence throughout the operation. Participating Soldiers built combat readiness by performing these duties as well as enhancing leadership skills, Soldier care, and individual Soldier tasks.