By Sgt. 1st Class Scott D. Longstreet, Louisiana National Guard Public Affairs Office
PINEVILLE – The Louisiana National Guard’s 204th Theater Aviation Operations Group bid farewell to family, friends and fellow service members during a departure ceremony held at the Army Aviation Support Facility at Esler Army Airfield in Pineville, La., on Sept. 6, 2025.
Approximately 45 Soldiers with the 204th TAOG will conduct mobilization training at Fort Hood, to hone their skills before deploying to Africa to support missions led by U.S. Army Europe and Africa. During this training, Soldiers will be utilizing their expertise in providing command and control, staff planning, supervision and standardization of all airfields and air traffic services within the theater of operations.
During the ceremony, Lt. Col. Joseph “Walt” W. Deville Jr., 204th TAOG commander, praised the aviators as they prepare to deploy.
“This task force has been working extremely hard since October 2024, in preparation for this deployment,” Deville said. “Louisiana is ranked at the top in the country when it comes to air patrol services. I am very proud of these Soldiers, and I am incredibly honored to lead them on this deployment to Africa for this very important mission.”
After his speech, Deville recognized some outstanding Soldiers with awards.
The ceremony concluded with Deville thanking the families and attendees for their love and support, immediately followed by a lunch to allow a final visit with loved ones before the unit began movement to Fort Hood.
The Soldiers will deploy to Africa later in the fall with a return to Louisiana in the middle of 2026.
