New York Army National Guard Soldiers on opposite sides of the world celebrated St. Patrick’s Day together, continuing a unit tradition dating back to 1851.

Every year, Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, known as the “Fighting 69th,” march up 5th Avenue in Manhattan as the lead of the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade. This year though, the battalion is deployed to the Horn of Africa for security missions as Task Force Wolfhound.

According to Lt. Col. Padraic Lilly, the Officer-in-Charge of the battalion’s rear detachment, this year’s parade consisted of about 150 Soldiers, joined by veterans and family members.

Lt. Col. Shawn Tabankin, the commander of the 69th, mirrored the New York City traditions of the rear detachment with the rest of the task force from their operating base in the Horn of Africa.

When the 69th Infantry Regiment began marching the parade in 1851, it was to protect the Irish immigrants that faced harsh persecution in the city during the parade. This year’s activities, according to Lilly, the parade is about maintaining unity with the deployed unit.

“We’ll be separated by geography, but united by performing in the parade,” Lilly said.

Every year, the battalion marches in their dress uniforms. To foster the sense of uniformity the Army always strives for, the rear detachment joined their forward-deployed partners in the standard combat uniform, who are unable to wear formal attire.

The morning began with the traditional commander’s toast to the 69th Regiment at 6 a.m. from the Lexington Avenue Armory, the battalion’s headquarters.

The rear detachment was joined by guests such as Lt. Gen. Jon Jensen, the director of the Army National Guard, Maj. Gen. Raymond Shields, the adjutant general for New York, as well as other general officers and sergeants major from across the New York National Guard along with the battalion’s forward-deployed unit via a Zoom call.

After the toast, the detachment marched to St. Patrick’s Cathedral to attend mass. The service was live-streamed so that the deployed Soldiers could watch and be a part of it too.

When the parade began, they were joined by the 42nd Infantry Division Band, the Veterans Corps Regimental Headquarters representatives, and the families of the Soldiers.

The parade was led by a bagpiper and two Irish Wolfhounds, the mascot of the 69th Infantry whose mascot and motto is “gentle when stroked, fierce when provoked.”

As the rear detachment marched up 5th Ave., the deployed Soldiers marched around their camp in Djibouti.

At the end of the day, even with oceans and thousands of miles between them, the 69th conducted another St. Patrick’s Day parade as unified as ever, Tabankin said.

“It’s a privilege to be associated with the 69th,” Lilly said. “I’m honored to be the OIC for the rear detachment and march in the parade.”

Even though the 69th was able to carry on its traditions while being operated by an ocean, Lt. Col. Lilly said he was looking forward to the 69th being whole again.