Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Robert Jordan | North Carolina National Guard (NCNG) Soldiers of the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team...... read more read more
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Friends, family, fellow Soldiers welcomed more than 60 North Carolina National Guard (NCNG) Soldiers to the NCNG’s Readiness Center in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Aug. 6, 2020.
The Soldiers deployed last year with the North Carolina Army National Guard’s (NCARNG) 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) after a year-long deployment to the Middle East in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Spartan Shield July 25, 2020.
A wet and drizzly summer afternoon did little to dampen the spirits of crowd gathered to welcome home the Soldiers to North Carolina after their flight from Fort Bliss, Texas to Pope Army Air Field, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
“Home is where the heart is,” said Spc. Alisha Chatman, a logistics specialist assigned to the brigade.
Families held homemade signs, bouquets of flowers and groups of balloons peering into the gloom hoping to see loved ones approaching.
Cheers and applause filled the air as two busses after picking up the Soldiers at the airfield pulled into the center's parking lot. There was a flurry of motion as Soldiers hoped off the bus and into the arms of waiting family. In a matter of minutes, most of the Soldiers have packed up their gear into the waiting cars and began the journey home.
“It is surreal, I thought the day would never get here,” said NCARNG Spc. Lauren Elder, a medic assigned the brigade.
The brigade, nicknamed Old Hickory, missions included providing M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles to support Operation Inherent Resolve and the coalition's efforts to protect critical infrastructure against ISIS.
The Soldiers also supported Operation Spartan Shield as part of a rotational armored brigade combat team assisting partner nations as they trained and provided stability in the region.
Old Hickory’s 4,000 Soldiers are self-sufficient on the battlefield with units headquartered in armories across North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia. They deploy with the firepower of the M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank, M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle and the 155-Millimeter Self-Propelled Paladin Howitzer.
Answering the nations call is not new to the unit with this being the third deployment as an entire brigade since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Their previous deployments were in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq in 2004 and 2009.
| Date Taken: | 08.06.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 08.07.2020 13:07 |
| Story ID: | 375464 |
| Location: | FAYETTEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 975 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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