Ohio Army National Guard Soldiers return from successful European deployment; showcase US military training with partners, allies

By Spc. Jessica SilhavyApril 4, 2022

196th MPAD Soldiers return home from overseas deployment
1 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Michael Alexander, assigned to the 196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, embraces loved ones, Jan. 25, 2022, at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio. The unit returned home after a nine-month deployment in support of U.S. European Command. (Photo Credit: Spc. Benhur Ayettey) VIEW ORIGINAL
196th MPAD Soldiers return home from overseas deployment
2 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – A person in a dinosaur costume is among the group welcoming home Soldiers from the 196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment Jan. 25, 2022, at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio. The unit returned home after a nine-month deployment in support of U.S. European Command. (Photo Credit: Spc. Benhur Ayettey) VIEW ORIGINAL
196th MPAD Soldiers return home from overseas deployment
3 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Michael Baumberger (left), a Soldier with the 196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, embraces loved ones Jan. 25, 2022, at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio. The unit returned home after a nine-month deployment in support of U.S. European Command. (Photo Credit: Spc. Benhur Ayettey) VIEW ORIGINAL
196th MPAD Soldiers return home from overseas deployment
4 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. Tommie Berry, assigned to the 196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, is greeted by loved ones Jan. 25, 2022, at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio. The unit returned home after a nine-month deployment in support of U.S. European Command. (Photo Credit: Spc. Benhur Ayettey) VIEW ORIGINAL
196th MPAD Soldiers return home from overseas deployment
5 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers assigned to the 196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment are greeted by loved ones, Jan. 25, 2022, at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio. The unit returned home after a nine-month deployment in support of U.S. European Command. (Photo Credit: Spc. Benhur Ayettey) VIEW ORIGINAL

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Imagine being 4,300 miles away from home, family and everything you’ve known, and in a completely different country for nine consecutive months. That’s exactly what eight Soldiers from the 196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment (Forward) did. On top of it all, they exceeded every expectation along the way.

From May 2021 to January 2022, a forward detachment of the unit, composed of an officer in charge and a mix of seven noncommissioned officers and junior enlisted Ohio Army National Guard members, traveled through Europe in support of the Department of Defense’s mission Atlantic Resolve.

During the deployment the detachment provided public affairs support to document the strong military alliance between the U.S. and its partner nations and allies. They did this by documenting training events and by creating different written and visual products that were utilized by civilian and military outlets throughout the world.

196th MPAD Soldiers return home from overseas deployment
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Staff Sgt. Jennifer Reynolds, a public affairs noncommissioned officer with the 196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, embraces loved ones Jan. 25, 2022, at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio. The unit returned home after a nine-month deployment in support of U.S. European Command. (Photo Credit: Spc. Benhur Ayettey) VIEW ORIGINAL
196th MPAD Soldiers return home from overseas deployment
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Family and friends prepare to greet returning Soldiers from the 196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Jan. 25, 2022, at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio. The unit returned home after a nine-month deployment in support of U.S. European Command. (Photo Credit: Spc. Benhur Ayettey) VIEW ORIGINAL
196th MPAD Soldiers return home from overseas deployment
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Staff Sgt. George Davis, assigned to the 196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, embraces his wife Stacy, Jan. 25, 2022, at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio. The unit returned home after a nine-month deployment in support of U.S. European Command. (Photo Credit: Spc. Benhur Ayettey) VIEW ORIGINAL
Army National Guard Public Affairs Soldier takes aim during joint exercise in Greece
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Spc. Michael Baumberger, a mass communication specialist with the 196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Ohio Army National Guard, adjusts the focus on his camera as soldiers with the Hellenic Army pass in Leopard A2 tanks during a U.S.-Hellenic joint exercise known as Olympic Cooperation at Petrochori Range, Triantafyllides Camp, Greece, Nov. 16, 2021. “Joining the guard was one of the best decisions I have ever made,” Baumberger said. “Being a mass communication specialist means a lot to me because I get to work alongside other Soldiers and tell their story.” Baumberger, along with other members of the 196th, were attached to the 1st Infantry Division, providing coverage of rotational forces across Europe. (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Jennifer Reynolds) VIEW ORIGINAL

“The information environment is ever changing, which makes public affairs always important,” said 1st Lt. Caroline Pirchner, 196th MPAD (Forward) commander/officer in charge. “Whether we are telling the story of what the U.S. Army is doing, the goals of the U.S. Army, or working with the media to help eliminate any disinformation out there in regard to the Army’s mission.”

The 196th MPAD’s Soldiers traveled through several countries including Germany, Greece, Latvia, Poland, Ukraine, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Soldiers gained new experiences and broadened and improved their knowledge of how to operate as skilled mass communications specialists.

“My favorite part of the deployment is when I got to lead my own mission for the first time in Latvia, which was a really big deal to me,” said Cpl. Max Elliot, a 196th MPAD (Forward) member who was on the deployment. “Public affairs is important because it tells our Soldier’s story and it demonstrates the fighting capabilities of the U.S. Armed Forces overseas.”

196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment conducts demobilization ceremony
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – 1st Lt. Caroline Pirchner, 196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment (Forward) commander/officer in charge, speaks during the unit's demobilization ceremony at the 147th Regiment (Regional Training Institute) on the Defense Supply Center Columbus campus in Columbus, Ohio, March 19, 2022. The Soldiers recently returned from a deployment to Europe where they provided public affairs support to Atlantic Resolve for nine months. (Photo Credit: Spc. Jessica Silhavy) VIEW ORIGINAL
196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment conducts demobilization ceremony
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers with the 196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment sit during the unit demobilization ceremony at the 147th Regiment (Regional Training Institute) on the Defense Supply Center Columbus campus in Columbus, Ohio, March 19, 2022. The Soldiers recently returned from a deployment to Europe where they provided public affairs support to Atlantic Resolve for nine months. (Photo Credit: Spc. Jessica Silhavy) VIEW ORIGINAL
196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment conducts demobilization ceremony
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – 1st Lt. Caroline Pirchner, 196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment (Forward) commander/officer in charge, salutes Lt. Col. David Mason Jr., 147th Regiment (Regional Training Institute) commander, during a demobilization ceremony at Defense Supply Center Columbus in Columbus, Ohio, March 19, 2022. The 196th MPAD Soldiers were deployed to Europe in support of the NATO mission Atlantic Resolve for nine months. (Photo Credit: Spc. Jessica Silhavy) VIEW ORIGINAL
Dusk Flight Ops
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Pfc. Michael Alexander, a mass communications specialist with the 196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, takes a photo of Sgt. Eric Hockaday, a crew chief with the 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment “Fighting Eagles,” in the skies over Illesheim Airfield, Germany, June 10, 2021. Alexander was mobilized to Europe to document Operation Atlantic Resolve. (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. George Davis) VIEW ORIGINAL

Throughout all the missions and countries, the eight-person team surpassed every goal and expectation when it came to producing high quality public affairs content. In total, they published more than 1,000 photographs, 190 videos, and 40 written articles that reached over 27 million people. They made up only 5% of the available public affairs workforce, but their team's products accounted for 24% of the U.S. Army Europe and Africa content featured on U.S. Department of Defense and Army websites and social media platforms, according to statistics provided by the unit.

“I feel like what we did as National Guardsmen was above and beyond meeting basic standards for public affairs work,” said Sgt. 1st Class Chad Menegay, 196th MPAD (Forward) noncommissioned officer in charge. “I feel like our people pushed themselves, worked extremely hard, excelled and showed great motivation, and I am so proud of them for doing that.”

To learn more about the Ohio National Guard visit: https://www.ong.ohio.gov/index.html

To learn more about the 196th MPAD visit: https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/196MPAD

To learn more about Atlantic Resolve visit: https://www.europeafrica.army.mil/AtlanticResolve/