Vermont National Guard Members Depart From North Adams
About 50 people waved flags to the see the Guardsmen off on their bus. The members were staying in North Adams because of a lack of hotel rooms in Bennington, Vt.
The American Legion Riders organized a send off for a group of 75 or so Guard members who were staying at Hotel Downstreet.
"We are going to escort them to the Bennington Armory," Riders President Mike Lewis said. "They are going to gear up there, and then I am not sure where they are going. I don’t even know if they are all going to the same place."
Fifty or so people met in the Hotel Downstreet parking lot to show their appreciation. They waved flags and held signs. A bagpiper was also present.
The Riders contacted the Fire Department who helped organize the send off. North Adams Police cruisers and Northern Berkshire EMS were also on site to help see the bus off.
Lewis said there was not enough rooms in Bennington for the National Guard members. He added because of the trend to use vacant hotel rooms as low-income housing, the group had to look toward North Adams.
It's not clear where these Guard were off to, but about 500 members of 3-172 Infantry Battalion were expected to go to the Middle East with U.S. Central Command. According to Vermont Digger, this deployment was scheduled prior to the strikes on Iran.
They met in the parking lot around 8. The service members didn't actually leave until after 8:30 a.m., after they took a minute to gather into an organized line. Those who didn't take the bus drove down with their significant others or family members.
Some attendees took their own vehicles and joined the convoy. The Fire Department hung an American flag from their ladder truck.
"We do this to show our appreciation. To show respect and honor," Lewis said. "It means a lot when they see it."
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