Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Rodney Roldan | U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. Tanner Congdon, a Movement Specialist with the 103rd...... read more read more
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NORWALK, Iowa — Soldiers of the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) gathered with family members, fellow service members, command leadership and community supporters Aug. 14 at Norwalk High School to mark the unit’s return from a recent deployment to the Middle East.
Hosted at Norwalk High School’s Physical Education & Competition Center, the redeployment ceremony served as an opportunity to formally welcome Soldiers home and recognize their dedication, accomplishments and sacrifices throughout the deployment.
The ceremony featured the uncasing of the 103rd ESC colors, the presentation of awards and recognition to Soldiers, and the presentation of Purple Heart medals to Soldiers who were wounded during their service overseas.
The uncasing of the colors is a significant military tradition that formally marks a unit’s return from a deployed mission. Once uncased, the unit colors symbolize the transition from an operational environment back to home-station operations and represent the return of the command to its community.
For the Soldiers of the 103rd ESC, the ceremony also provided an opportunity to reconnect as a unit following months of deployment and to recognize the individual and collective efforts that contributed to the mission’s success.
Staff Sgt. Brandon Harris, the 103rd ESC G8 noncommissioned officer in charge, said the ceremony was particularly meaningful because it brought Soldiers together again after the deployment while recognizing their contributions.
“So, today, we came together, you know, to do the uncasing of the colors, kind of meet for the first time that we've been together since the end of the deployment, and to be awarded,” Harris said.
Harris was among the Soldiers recognized during the ceremony, receiving the Meritorious Service Medal for his service during the deployment. He said the awards were important because they provided recognition for the hard work performed by Soldiers throughout the mission.
“Several people received Purple Hearts and Combat Medals, and even down to the ARCOMs, just making sure that everybody understands the hard work that they did, and understanding the part that we all played, and being there for each other,” Harris said.
For Specialist Jayce Gurnsey, a human resources specialist with the 103rd ESC, the recognition carried similarly personal significance. Gurnsey received the Meritorious Service Medal during the ceremony, an award he described as an important acknowledgment of the effort he invested throughout the deployment.
“Yesterday, the 103rd had the award ceremony for our deployment,” Gurnsey said. “We honored a bunch of Soldiers with their end-of-tour awards. I received my MSM, which was super important to me. It was great to see that all my hard work on the deployment kind of paid off.”
Gurnsey said receiving the award was meaningful not only because of the personal recognition, but because he was able to watch fellow Soldiers receive recognition for their contributions as well.
“That was the highest award I received,” Gurnsey said. “It was just cool to see everyone's hard work, honestly, get rewarded, and everyone deserved their awards.”
For Gurnsey, the ceremony also demonstrated the importance of recognizing Soldiers after a demanding deployment. He said the recognition helped reinforce morale and gave Soldiers an opportunity to reconnect after experiencing difficult circumstances together.
“I think not only does it kind of boost morale and show people that what they did really does matter, but we went through the unimaginable over there and we all just grew so close together,” Gurnsey said. “It was nice getting everyone back together for such a positive moment.”
The relationships formed during the deployment were also evident to Gurnsey's friends outside the Army. He said friends who had served in the military themselves understood the significance of seeing the 103rd ESC come together following the deployment.
“I had some friends who were also in the military as well, so they know what this environment is like, and they thought it was super cool to see how our unit came together,” Gurnsey said.
Gurnsey's experience also highlighted one of the defining characteristics of Army Reserve service: Soldiers transition between military responsibilities and civilian careers while continuing to serve their country.
In his civilian life, Gurnsey works as a special education teacher. He said there are similarities between teaching and military service, particularly when it comes to leadership, accountability and working within an organization.
“In my civilian life I am a special ed teacher,” Gurnsey said. “The military and education are so similar between things like leadership where you're always listening to higher ups and everything.”
At the same time, Gurnsey said the military provides a different form of recognition for his contributions, something he believes people outside the Reserve often do not fully understand.
“In teaching, I don't get recognized for my work as much as I do in the military,” Gurnsey said. “So, it's nice that even my so-and-so part-time job recognizes me more than my full-time job. That's something civilians don't really understand. It's so much more than two days a month.”
His comments underscore the commitment required of Reserve Soldiers, who maintain civilian careers and personal responsibilities while remaining prepared to serve when called upon.
For Gurnsey, that commitment is also personal. The recognition he received during the redeployment ceremony reinforced his desire to continue giving his best effort whenever he puts on the uniform.
“It just shows how important it is to me,” Gurnsey said, “and that my one weekend a month, or whatever it's going to be, is, like, I want to give my best effort, because that's what people see from me.”
The ceremony also served as a reminder of the risks Soldiers faced during their deployment.
Among the most solemn moments was the presentation of Purple Heart medals to Soldiers wounded during their service overseas. The award recognizes members of the Armed Forces who have been wounded or killed as a result of enemy action.
The presentations provided an opportunity for family members and community members to witness the recognition of those sacrifices and served as a reminder that the deployment carried real risks for the Soldiers who participated.
For Harris, however, the importance of the ceremony extended beyond the awards themselves.
“This is important for the families, so that they really get an up-close visual of what this means to us and the cohesion, and just the bond that we as a unit share,” Harris said. “It runs a lot deeper than just the Stars and Stripes, and us being all in the same uniform, but as brothers and sisters, and as family through everything that we went through.”
The ceremony also highlighted the unique role of the Army Reserve and the ability of Reserve Soldiers to come together from their civilian lives and execute demanding military missions.
Harris said the deployment demonstrated the effectiveness and commitment of Army Reserve Soldiers.
“I feel like a lot of times, people expect to see the active-duty units constantly doing this on a 24-7 basis,” Harris said. “So, to see Soldiers that are called weekend warriors show up, and do this for nine months, and to have the type of rapport, and the type of success that we've had, it's important for others, both in and outside of the military, to see that we can be just as, if not more effective in all the things that we do.”
The support provided by Norwalk High School added another important dimension to the ceremony. By opening its facilities to the 103rd ESC, the school district provided a central location where Soldiers, families, military leaders and community members could come together to recognize the unit's return.
Josh Tobey, Norwalk High School activities director, said hosting the event represented an opportunity for the school and community to support local service members.
“We have a great support staff here at Norwalk between our coaches, our district administration, even our students chipping in to make this possible,” Tobey said. “We've never hosted anything like this in our school district, so we're happy to host, we're happy to play our part, and support the military in any way that we can when that opportunity presents itself.”
The partnership between the 103rd ESC and Norwalk High School demonstrated the important relationship between military organizations and the communities that support them.
The school's involvement extended beyond simply providing a venue. Faculty, staff, coaches, administrators and students contributed to making the event possible, creating an opportunity for members of the local community to directly participate in welcoming home the Soldiers.
Tobey said the relationship also reflected the responsibility organizations have to give back to the communities that support them.
“I think so much of, we are often the benefactors of community support from parents and community members and businesses and tax dollars,” Tobey said. “I think when presented with an opportunity to give back to the community in some way, even if it's not Norwalk, but the community at large, I think we have a duty to do that as well.”
For the 103rd ESC, that community support provided an important backdrop to a ceremony centered on service, sacrifice and homecoming.
The event allowed families to see their Soldiers formally recognized for their contributions and provided community members an opportunity to better understand the commitment required of Reserve Soldiers who balance military service with civilian careers and family responsibilities.
The ceremony also marked a transition for the Soldiers themselves. After months operating in a deployed environment, the uncasing of the colors formally signaled the command's return to its home-station mission and the beginning of the next chapter for the organization.
Harris, who has deployed four times during his military career, said the relationships developed during each deployment remain among the most important parts of the experience.
“I'm just extremely thankful for the opportunity,” Harris said. “This is my fourth deployment. I've seen all types of different places and situations, but the one thing that is never the same is the bond that you share with everybody.”
He described the 103rd ESC as a unique group of Soldiers who developed a close relationship throughout the deployment.
“So, this is definitely a unique group of individuals, and I've grown extremely close,” Harris said. “That's just been the most important thing to hopefully, even with us going to different units, and everybody having new assignments, that we stick together, and we share that family bond that we all have.”
The Aug. 14 ceremony in Norwalk represented more than the conclusion of a deployment. It was a celebration of Soldiers who answered the call to serve, recognition of those who distinguished themselves during the mission, and an opportunity to honor those who were wounded.
For Gurnsey, the recognition also reinforced why he continues to serve despite the demands of balancing military service with his civilian profession.
His experience reflected the broader message of the ceremony: Army Reserve service extends far beyond a single weekend each month. It represents a continuing commitment to teammates, families, communities and the mission.
With the 103rd ESC colors once again uncased, the command formally transitioned back to home-station operations. For the Soldiers, families and community members gathered inside Norwalk High School's Physical Education & Competition Center, the ceremony provided a meaningful opportunity to recognize the accomplishments of the deployment, honor the sacrifices made along the way, and welcome the Soldiers home
| Date Taken: | 08.21.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 08.21.2026 16:16 |
| Story ID: | 573011 |
| Location: | DES MOINES, IOWA, US |
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