Photo By Jefferson Wolfe | Staff Sgt. Calan Johnson, center, poses for a photo with his wife, Ashley, and their...... read more read more
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By Jefferson Wolfe
Command Information Officer
FORT GREGG-ADAMS, Va. — Soldiers from the 54th Quartermaster Company were welcomed home by family and friends early Friday morning as they returned from a nine-month deployment to Southwest Asia.
The 54th Quartermaster Company is the Army’s only active-duty mortuary affairs unit. The unit sent 29 Soldiers to Kuwait, Iraq, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates in support of a wide array of operations in the region.
They arrived at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Thursday and traveled by bus to Fort Gregg-Adams for the welcome home ceremony at the Family Life Center.
“The first thing I saw was my mom and her holding the sign, which I didn’t know she had,” said Spc. Jayla Mathis.
Her mother, Jayime Mathis, drove 14 hours from Mississippi to attend the welcome home. As the bus transporting the Soldiers arrived in the parking lot at the Family Life Center, she held up a sign reading “Welcome home, girly!”
“That was the longest I’ve ever been away from her since I’ve been the Army in general, so it was tough, but I got through it, I’m here,” Jayla said.
The Solders were met by the company’s leadership, fellow Soldiers, and family members, as well as leaders from Fort Gregg-Adams and beyond.
“Today, we get to welcome back detachment number one, 29 of our best from CENTCOM,” said Capt. Peter Kase, the company commander. “This team as the first of what will be three consecutive deployments for the company.”
The Soldiers deployed with only one month’s notice and had to develop systems to lay the foundation for all follow-on rotations heading into the theater of operations, he said.
“Everyone in this room, and all your loved ones back home, are all very proud of what you’ve done and are glad to have you back safe,” Kase said. “So, job well done team, and we’re very excited to have you back.”
While the Soldiers were deployed, the 264th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, at Fort Liberty, N.C., became the higher headquarters for the 54th in November.
“Let me emphasize one thing: we are proud of you and all that you have done, the hard work that you have done,” said Lt. Col. Jim Grube, the 264th CSSB commander. “This was a difficult rotation, as your commander said, but you did it with grace and poise.”
| Date Taken: | 04.12.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.12.2024 07:23 |
| Story ID: | 468395 |
| Location: | FORT GREGG-ADAMS, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 109 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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