Demobilization ceremony held for Oregon Guardsmen in support of Operation Allies Welcome

Photo By Staff Sgt. Timothy Jackson | Soldiers from1186th Military Police Company, 821st Troop Command Battalion, Oregon Army National Guard salute during a demobilization ceremony in Salem, Oregon, on May 15, 2022. Maj. Gen. Stencel spoke at the ceremony for Soldiers returning from a months-long mission helping Afghan evacuees integrate with society in Camp Atterbury, Indiana.  

OR, UNITED STATES

05.15.2022

Courtesy Story

115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

SALEM, Ore. - Nearly 200 Oregon National Guard members from the 1186th Military Police Company and 224th Engineering Company, were formally recognized during a demobilization ceremony in support of Operation Allies Welcome on May 15, 2022, in Salem, Oregon.

“As citizens, not just of Oregon and our nation, but also of the world, we have the responsibility to care about, and care for, other citizens of the world, especially those less fortunate than ourselves,” said Maj. Gen. Michael Stencel, Adjutant General, Oregon, detailing the months-long mission at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. "Many of you worked in security and law enforcement positions, others worked in clothing distribution or helped set up the temporary housing in the military billets. In essence, you set up a city for over 7,000 people."

The Oregon National Guard Soldiers provided aid to Afghan evacuees with resettlement support as they began to rebuild their lives in the United States. Both units arrived back to home station on March 1, 2022.

“The best thing for me personally, was I got to see [the people] of Afghanistan in that role and capacity, and then I got to see them here in the US in the opposite, the ending…[of] what happens after war," said Staff Sgt. Patrick Gonzalez, a platoon sergeant with the 1186th Military Police Company. “It was cool to keep them safe and find the evacuees housing, to see the flip side, to really speak to them.”

Beginning in late August of 2021, Afghan refugees began arriving in the United States, which included Indiana National Guard’s Camp Atterbury and other U.S. Military installations around the country. Aaron Batt, federal coordinator of Operation Allies Welcome Camp at Atterbury said that 7,201 Afghan guests were resettled as the mission concluded on January 24, helping thousands of them into communities around the United States. Officials at Camp Atterbury said evacuees were resettled in 45 different states.

• Date Taken: 05.15.2022
• Date Posted: 06.05.2022 17:17
• Story ID: 422187
• Location: OR, US