CAMP VIRGINIA, Kuwait - As the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division “Red Bulls” prepares to leave Kuwait and travel back to Minnesota, the battalions working under the brigade case their colors as they wrap up their deployment.
April 10th the 1/34th BCT’s 1-194 Combined Arms Battalion held a ceremony to celebrate a triumphant end to an important mission.
The mission accomplished by 1-194 during their deployment was a historic feat, which was vital to the draw down of U.S. soldiers and equipment from Iraq. They worked around the clock day after day to keep travel routes safe.
Sgt. Chad Swenson from Elk River, Minn., was a gunner on one of many convoy escort teams the 1-194 CAB provided. For miles through the dark, hours at a time, Sgt. Swenson provided constant security as his convoy traveled over the highways of Iraq.
“It was ending a war. It means a lot in general just to bring everybody home,” Swenson said, describing his feelings on the 194’s mission.
During a ceremony held at Camp Virginia, Kuwait, Maj. Tadd Vanyo and Sgt. Maj. John Lepowsky put away the battalion colors. 1-194 Combined Arms Battalion closed an important chapter in their history as the command team prepared the battalion colors for the journey back home. Soldiers of the 1/34th BCT are headed to Camp Shelby, Miss., where they will undergo their demobilization process before returning to Minnesota.