FARGO, N.D. — Eight members of the North Dakota Air National Guard returned home from a six-month deployment to Afghanistan this morning. The Airmen serve with the 119th Logistics Readiness Squadron, which manages movement of personnel and cargo.
“We are proud to welcome home the members of the 119th Wing who successfully completed their mission and carried on the North Dakota National Guard’s revered tradition of distinguished service in support of the Global War on Terrorism,” said Gov. Jack Dalrymple. “As we prepare to observe America’s independence, it is fitting that we welcome home these heroes who have spent the last six months defending the very liberties we celebrate this Fourth of July.”
Since deploying in December, the North Dakota Airmen have moved and processed more than 250,000 personnel and nearly 10,000 tons of cargo as part of operations in Bagram at the Department of Defense’s busiest aerial port. In just six months’ time, they worked with 961 aircraft and maintained a $2.5 million fleet of vehicles. After hours, they volunteered their time staffing the Pat Tillman USO to support the morale and welfare of their fellow service members.
“These Airmen have continued to enhance the reputation that the North Dakota National Guard has built and fostered around the globe,” said Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, North Dakota adjutant general. “Their accomplishments this year have touched tens of thousands of people and made a definite impact on our overseas missions in the Global War on Terrorism.”
Sprynczynatyk joined Dalrymple, along with Brig. Gen. Alan Dohrmann, North Dakota National Guard deputy adjutant general; Col. Rick Gibney, 119th Wing commander; and other Guardsmen, family, friends and Patriot Guard members who welcomed the Airmen home as they arrived at Hector International Airport.
Those who returned home today are Tech. Sgt. Patrick Sommer, Staff Sgt. Ernest Trosen, Senior Airman Shelly Pherson, Senior Airman Zachery Bjerke, Senior Airman Adam Haskins, Senior Airman Robert Taylor, Senior Airman Kelsey Peterson and Senior Airman Tracey Mauch. Trosen deployed to Iraq for six months in 2011 and was home just 45 days before the six-month Afghanistan mission.
“It’s great to see these Airmen reunited with their families in time to celebrate our country’s independence,” Sprynczynatyk said. “Military families and employers continue to contribute to our success in the military and deserve our thanks.”
Nearly two dozen North Dakota Air National Guard members remain deployed overseas, as well as about 320 North Dakota Army National Guard members.
——
Since the 2001 terrorist attacks on America, the North Dakota National Guard has mobilized nearly 3,900 Soldiers and more than 1,800 Airmen in support of the Global War on Terrorism. About 70 percent of all members serving today have joined since that time. Currently, more than 300 North Dakota Guardsmen are serving overseas while about 4,000 remain in the state for emergency response and national defense. For every 10,000 citizens in North Dakota, 65 serve in the North Dakota National Guard, a rate that’s more than four times the national average.
These and other high-resolution photos to accompany this release are available on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ndguard/sets/72157630392152214/.