Colorado National Guard deploys to the Middle East

(COLORADO) — The Colorado National Guard will be deployed to the Middle East in support of an international peacekeeping force with a departure ceremony scheduled for Friday, April 3.

According to the Colorado National Guard, the deployment is in support of Multinational Force and Observers, an international peacekeeping force that supervises the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty and enforces its terms.

More than 200 soldiers of the Colorado Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment will be at the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, 7711 East Academy Boulevard in Denver, for the departure ceremony.

“The Soldiers of this battalion are highly trained, motivated, and ready to assume the mission of the Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai,” said 1-157th Commander U.S. Army Lt. Col. Adam W. Rhum. “We are proud to be part of this long-standing and successful peacekeeping operation, and we are committed to upholding the legacy of those who have served before us in support of the treaty of peace between Egypt and Israel.”

The treaty was a result of the Camp David Accords and ended the state of war that had existed between the two countries. The MFO is an independent international organization created by agreement between Egypt and Israel to oversee the peace and is supported by 14 nations, according to the Colorado National Guard.

“The 1-157th has a lineage dating back to the Colorado Gold Rush, officially becoming the ‘First Colorado’ Infantry Regiment in 1883. The regiment served with distinction in World War I and World War II, where it was attached to the 45th Infantry Division and fought in major campaigns including Sicily, Anzio, Italy, and southern France,” said the Colorado National Guard.

The unit is headquartered at Fort Carson.