Photo By Spc. Brianna Rhodes | A daughter reunites with her father when Soldiers with 1st Squadron, 180th Cavalry...... read more read more
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NORMAN, Okla. - Approximately 100 Soldiers with 1st Squadron, 180th Cavalry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, reunited with family, friends, and loved ones during a ceremony at the Armed Forces Reserve Center, Norman, Oklahoma, June 26, after an eight-month deployment to Afghanistan.
The unit, based out of McAlester, Oklahoma, was mobilized to Kabul, Afghanistan for Operation Freedom's Sentinel and provided force protection and incident response alongside NATO allies and partners within the Kabul area.
Distinguished visitors at the ceremony included Mary Fallin, governor of the State of Oklahoma, Maj. Gen. Michael Thompson, adjutant general of Oklahoma and Col. Chris Chomosh, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team commander.
“We are so proud of our 180th Cavalry Regiment, all that you have done,” said Fallin. “It is a true act of sacrifice and service, patriotism; the values that make Oklahoma so great when men and women are willing to step up and say ‘count me in, send me in, I’m ready to go.’”
Among the Soldiers coming home was Pfc. Paul Brown, an infantryman assigned to 180th after volunteering for the deployment. The eight-month assignment marked his first deployment.
“We were pretty well prepared for [the deployment],” said Brown, a Dewar, Oklahoma, native. “I would go back in a heartbeat.”
Since 2001, the 180th has deployed numerous times, including other tours to Afghanistan, Sinai, Kuwait, and several state active duty missions including helping with Hurricane Katrina, the Moore tornado in 2013, and recent winter blizzards.
“You guys, simply put, are America at its best,” said Thompson. “It’s not a bumper sticker, not a t-shirt, it’s not a slogan we’re trying to get someone to write on a wristband. You truly are America at its best. Thank you for who you are, thank you for what you represent. Everyone that has worn that uniform, everyone that will wear that uniform—that’s a heavy burden to represent, and you do it with integrity and honor.
“When our nation calls, you answer faithfully,” said Thompson. “That’s what the Guard has always done; it’s what the Guard will always do.”
| Date Taken: | 06.26.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 06.28.2018 17:18 |
| Story ID: | 282613 |
| Location: | NORMAN, OK, US |
| Web Views: | 160 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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