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SMYRNA (September 18) — Local Tennessee National Guard members were among approximately 116 soldiers from the 194th Engineer Brigade based in Jackson, who returned home September 18, 2020, after a successful deployment to the Middle East.
The 194th was activated October 2019 and spent the last 10 months as the U.S. Central Command Theater Engineer Brigade Headquarters, performing the functions of a corps-level, engineering strategic assist.
They were responsible for directing the efforts of 3,400 soldiers conducting engineering operations and projects in eight different countries throughout the U.S. Army Central Command area of operations in the Middle East region.
They served as an integral part of Operation Inherent Resolve, Operation Spartan Shield and Operation Freedom Sentinel, making this deployment especially historic.
With the COVID-19 pandemic peaking during their deployment, daily operations became trickier, but the mission was greatly successful.
McKenzie residents serving with the 194th Engineer Brigade in Jackson included Master Sgt. Richard Ozment, Master Sgt. Todd Walker and Lt. Austin Chapman.
During his deployment, Master Sgt. Ozment served as Brigade Training and Schools Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge (NCOIC) at the Technical Assistance Center (TAC) in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. He was housed in an open bay, eight-man barrack.
He worked with a TAC cell consisting of 12 soldiers.
“We had two battalions under us. “Our mission was general engineering operations,” Master Sgt. Ozment said.
“We had a really strong unit. Our leadership was second to none. Our junior officers and junior enlisted soldiers performed well above expectations. They took a lot of bad situations and made them positive.”
“When COVID hit, it changed everything over there,” he said. “They call it the new normal, but there was nothing normal about it.”
He noted none of the soldiers deployed with the 194th Engineer Brigade became infected with COVID-19 while deployed in Kuwait.
Upon being released from the 194th in Jackson, he was met by his wife, Sonya Ozment, daughter, Sarah, granddaughter, Ellah; sister, Shelia Willis, and several friends, including members of his church family at New Hope Baptist Church.