Photo By David Lipp | Capt. Mark Topp holds his daughter Peyton May 14 upon his return to Hector...... read more read more
FARGO, N.D. — The first round of North Dakota Army National Guard Soldiers to return from Kosovo are back in the state this afternoon after traveling home from their demobilization site at Camp Atterbury, Ind. The Soldiers came back on several flights throughout the day, with the largest group arriving in Fargo via a charter flight around 1 p.m. Other flights arrived in Bismarck, Jamestown and Minot.
"It's a great day to welcome home these Soldiers who have been serving in Kosovo. I had the opportunity to see first-hand the skill and dedication they employed to carry out a successful peacekeeping mission there," said Gov. John Hoeven, who was in Fargo to welcome home the Soldiers.
Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, North Dakota adjutant general, also greeted the Soldiers in Fargo. In addition to family and friends, other service members, Patriot Guard members and color guards from veterans' organizations welcomed the Soldiers home at locations across the state.
"I'm glad to be here to greet this fantastic group of Soldiers. They performed wonderfully while in Kosovo, and it is great to see them reuniting with their families, who have also served tirelessly throughout this deployment," Sprynczynatyk said.
In all, about 150 Soldiers out of 650 from North Dakota are now home, with the remaining 500 expected to return later this summer. Those returning today were impacted by changes in troop levels within the 10,000-strong NATO peacekeeping force there. North Dakota's 500 Soldiers still in Kosovo will transition with their counterparts with Kosovo Force (KFOR) 13 yet this summer.
| Date Taken: | 05.14.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 05.14.2010 21:11 |
| Story ID: | 49707 |
| Location: | FARGO, ND, US |
| Web Views: | 289 |
| Downloads: | 254 |
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