FORT CAMPBELL, KY (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Late Tuesday night, soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division boarded three flights of C-17 aircraft at Campbell Army Airfield for their deployment to Europe in support of Joint Task Force Dragon.

101st soldiers load a C-17 aircraft at Campbell Army Airfield at Fort Campbell for deployment to Europe, on Feb. 15, 2022. (Lee Erwin).
101st soldiers prepare to board a C-17 aircraft at Campbell Army Airfield at Fort Campbell for deployment to Europe, on Feb. 15, 2022. (Lee Erwin).
101st soldiers board a C-17 aircraft at Campbell Army Airfield at Fort Campbell for deployment to Europe, on Feb. 15, 2022. (Lee Erwin).
101st soldiers board a C-17 aircraft at Campbell Army Airfield at Fort Campbell for deployment to Europe, on Feb. 15, 2022. (Lee Erwin).
101st soldiers board a C-17 aircraft at Campbell Army Airfield at Fort Campbell for deployment to Europe, on Feb. 15, 2022. (Lee Erwin).
A C-17 aircraft sits at Campbell Army Airfield at Fort Campbell, Kentucky waiting to transport 101st soldiers deployed to Europe, on Feb. 15, 2022. (Lee Erwin).

It was the first deployment for Pfc. Zyan Sweet, who said he was excited when he first heard he was deploying to Europe, and he was grateful for the training that led up to it.

“It’s prepared us a lot. We practice to make perfect and we go out every year, a lot of months out of the year, and train with everything we are going to take with us and do on this mission that we have,” Sweet said.

He said he has two sisters in the military, and he decided to follow in their footsteps.

Pvt. Mark Berg Jr. said he was both excited and nervous about the deployment.

“Since I’ve been here, I’ve had great leadership and they have helped me out a lot. There’s no place I’d rather be right now, it’s one of the best places to be, no doubt about it,” Berg said.

The 101st Screaming Eagles will join elements of the 18th Airborne Corps from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, already deployed to the region.