This deployment marked the largest wartime deployment of Oregon Army National Guardsmen since World War II when the 41st Infantry Division was mobilized for service.
(PORTLAND, Ore.) - More than 60 soldiers from the Oregon Army National Guard's 41st Brigade Combat Team are scheduled to return to Oregon tonight between 11:30 PM 12:30 AM.
Guard Spokesman Capt. Mike Braibish, says The contract flight will land at the Portland Air National Guard Base. The soldiers will then be transported to the Jackson Armory located at 6255 NE Cornfoot Road in Portland, Ore. where their families and friends are invited to await their arrival for the initial welcome home.
These soldiers were mobilized for training last year in February at Camp Shelby, Mississippi and deployed in June to Afghanistan with the primary mission of training the Afghan National Army. They later received the secondary mission of also training the Afghanistan Police Force. Afghanistan National Police: An Exercise in Survival (VIDEO)
While in the theater of operation they also performed many humanitarian type missions to include rebuilding schools, clinics and providing medical care to the citizens of Afghanistan and even helping to rebuild a Kabul Hospital in their spare time. Independence Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan Opens with Many Needs (VIDEO)
The last two links are just two of many stories from Afghanistan on Salem-News.com. The site's photo gallery Salem-News.com Afghanistan Photos also has 157 photos from the Oregon Guard deployment to Afghanistan. That number is growing with time as more of Tim's shots are added.
This deployment marked the largest wartime deployment of Oregon Army National Guardsmen since World War II when the 41st Infantry Division was mobilized for service.
There will be a formal welcome home ceremony at the Oregon National Guard's Anderson Readiness Center located at 3225 State Street SE in Salem at 1:00 PM the next day. Governor Theodore R. Kulongoski and Major General Raymond F. Rees, the Adjutant General, will welcome the soldiers home in a brief ceremony.
Following any processing that may need to be completed these men and women will begin a 90-day block leave prior to returning to duty as a member of the Oregon Army National Guard.
OREGON HOMETOWNS:
Aloha: Pfc John O'Keefe
Astoria:Sgt. Jeffery D. Jeremiah
Beaverton:
Spc. Joseph McnamaraSpc. Evan Topinka
Camas Valley:Sgt. David Myers
Central Point:
Spc. Christopher J. Hewitt
Clackamas:
Spc. Aaron Staples
Coos Bay:
Spc. Fawn MathisSpc. Paul Scriven
Dayton:
Spc. Jose Rangel
Eagle Point:
Spc. Charles Jackson
Eugene:
Spc. Paul Knickerbocker
Forest Grove:
Spc. Daniel Jay Stevens
Gaston:
Spc. Warren Moreno
Gladstone:
Staff Sgt. James Braun
Hillsboro:
Sgt. Colleen KochSpc. Aaron Lehman
Independence:
Staff Sgt. Paul Fults
Keizer:
Spc. Justin Voiss
Klamath Falls:
Spc. Lee Tran
Lake Oswego:
Spc. Douglas Ashby
McMinnville:
Spc. Joseph LoiselleSpc. Daniel Mabry
Medford:
Spc. Mathew ButlerSpc. Brian HeilSpc. Shaun HendryStaff Sgt. Zachary PhillipsSpc. Christopher Schmidt
Milwaukie:
Pfc. Marcus Kim
Monmouth:
Pfc. Anders Dreizsus
Mulino:
Spc. Jordan Varmette
Newberg:
Pfc. William FranklinSpc. Paul MarciniukSpc. Russell Young
Portland:
Spc. Josh BoehmSpc. Carl ClarkPfc. Brian MillerSpc. David PearsonSgt. Derrick PrestonSpc. Timothy Schregardus
Roseburg:
Spc. Marcus SmithSpc. David Staeb (Both Marcus Smith and David Staeb appear in this report by Tim King: On Foot Patrol Around Camp Phoenix, Afghanistan (VIDEO))
Saint Helens:
Spc. Jayson Hester
Salem:
Pfc. Adam ContrerasSgt 1st Class Scott DelappSpc. James MontgomerySpc. Angel Morrow(Featured in this report by Tim King: Americans Bring Medical Help to Afghanistan Families (VIDEO))Pfc. Joseph Munch
Silverton:
Sgt. Brooke Welborn
Springfield:
Sgt. Robert Evans
St Helens:
Spc. Sean EllisPfc. Mitchell Espinoza
Waldport:
Spc. Jeffrey Wagner
Warren:
Spc. Gregory Mannen
WASHINGTON HOMETOWNS:
Bingen:
Sgt. Mark Fuwell
Eatonville:
Spc. Andrew Lukowski
Federal Way:
Spc. Tyler Ross
Pasco:Spc. Patrick Strand
Vancouver:Spc. Joseph Tranchsel
HOMETOWN UNKNOWN:Kenneth JackolaMaj. Timothy Williams
Salem-News.com's Tim King spent two months with these soldiers in Afghanistan last winter. There are many reports published in our special Dispatches from Afghanistan with Tim King
More Oregon Guard Troops Return Home Tonight from AfghanistanSalem-News.com