Tennessee National Guard returns from Florida due to an inundation of help

Toriana Williams and Kerri Bartlett
·2 min read

Around 1,200 airmen and soldiers from the Tennessee National Guard departed the state earlier this week to provide aid in Florida after the landfall of Hurricane Ian.

On Friday, they were directed to return home. Lt. Col. Marty Malone said the damage in Florida is more manageable initially thought.

"That's a great problem to have," Malone said.

Gov. Bill Lee on Monday authorized the deployment. Battalions across Tennessee were expected to spend 19 days in Florida communities heavily impacted by Hurricane Ian.

Gov. Bill Lee authorized the deployment on Monday.

The deployed forces, commanded by the 194th Engineer Brigade in Jackson, were available to assist the Florida National Guard's emergency response efforts. Units from the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment and 230th Sustainment Brigade mobilized to support the task force. Three helicopters with the 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion also assisted.

Units that were deployed then recalled include:

  • 194th Engineer Brigade in Jackson

  • 230th Engineer Battalion in Trenton

  • 212th Engineer Company in Paris

  • 251st Military Police Company in Lexington

  • 278th Regimental Support Squadron in Columbia

  • 1175th Transportation Company in Tullahoma

  • 30th Troop Command in Tullahoma

  • 176th Combat Service Support Battalion in Johnson City

  • 776th Maintenance Company in Elizabethton

  • 253rd Military Police Company in Lenoir City

  • 1176th Transportation Company in Jacksboro and Smyrna

"It is not untypical to send this many personnel to help. Tennessee is always the volunteer state," Malone said. "Last season, we deployed to Louisiana to help with the hurricane reset, and we were there for the Waverly flooding in Middle Tennessee last year.

"Three helicopters are already there, but they haven't been able to fly yet because winds were too high as of Thursday morning. The massive amounts of troops are still traveling. They stop halfway tonight and finish tomorrow to be on-site midday Friday," Malone said Thursday.

However, upon the arrival of ground assistance in Florida, the Tennessee Guard was sent back. The only aid from Tennessee that stayed in Florida are helicopter assets and the crew used to fly them.

"We were ready and willing to go, but if Florida doesn't need us, that's OK," Malone said.

The National Guard trains for several encounters and is equipped for post-hurricane clean-up and debris removal, Malone said.

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Tennessee National Guard to return from Florida after Hurricane Ian