BISMARCK, N.D. - The return trip for nearly 100 soldiers with the North Dakota National Guard's 818th Engineer Company (Sapper) has been confirmed. The Guardsmen, who spent nearly a year working as combat engineers in Afghanistan, will return via chartered aircraft to Bismarck, at approximately 11:30 a.m. on Friday, March 22. They returned to the United States, March 12 for demobilization at Fort Bliss, Texas.
The chartered aircraft will land at the Bismarck airport but will offload the soldiers at the North Dakota National Guard's Army Aviation Support Facility, south of the airport.
The public and media are welcome to attend. Turn into the complex at the Huey helicopter display on Airway Ave. Soldiers will guide vehicles into parking areas. Historically, chartered flights arrive early and therefore we recommend arriving at least 30 minutes prior to scheduled arrival.
The 818th Engineer Company is headquartered in Williston, N.D., with a detachment in Hazen. It's the first time a unit from those cities has mobilized overseas for the Global War on Terrorism.
The unit is led by Capt. Robert Bohl, of Flasher, N.D., and Sgt. Maj. Rashad Schaffner, of Dawson, N.D.
Two soldiers with the unit were killed in action during the mission. Sgt. 1st Class Darren Linde and Spc. Tyler Orgaard died Dec. 3, and Spc. Ian Placek was wounded in the attack.
A formal welcome home ceremony, called a Freedom Salute, will take place in about three months to honor the Guardsmen and their families.
WHAT: Soldiers of the 818th Engineer Company (Sapper) return to North Dakota
WHEN: Friday, March 22 at approximately 11:30 a.m.
WHERE: N.D. National Guard's Army Aviation Support Facility, 3406 Airway Ave, Bismarck, N.D.
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Since the 2001 terrorist attacks on America, the North Dakota National Guard has mobilized more than 3,900 soldiers and about 2,400 Airmen in support of the Global War on Terrorism. About 70 percent of all members serving today have joined since that time. Currently, more than 150 North Dakota Guardsmen are serving overseas while more than 4,000 remain in the state for emergency response and national defense. For every 10,000 citizens in North Dakota, 65 serve in the North Dakota National Guard, a rate that's more than four times the national average.