Kansas Guard unit welcomed home
8:54 p.m. Friday, October 10, 2008
Approximately 130 National Guardsmen of the 1161st Forward Support Company, Hutchinson, were welcomed home from their deployment to Iraq during a ceremony today.
The ceremony was held at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
"It's great to have these soldiers back home," said Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, the Adjutant General. "I'm proud of their hard work and dedication during this deployment, and I'm grateful for the support their families and friends provided them throughout their time away."
The 1161st FSC deployed as part of the 1st Battalion, 161st Field Artillery, Kansas National Guard.
The unit deployed in late November 2007 to Fort Bliss, Texas, for pre-mobilization training prior to going to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in January 2008.
Their mission in Iraq included force protection and convoy escorts for combat logistics patrols. They provided over 95,000 collective hours of perimeter security and conducted over 100 combat logistics patrols. The unit also conducted joint training with their Iraqi Army counterparts.
The rest of the unit with soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, Wichita; Battery A, Dodge City; and Battery C, Kingman, will be welcomed home in a ceremony scheduled for a later date in October in Wichita.
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