NORFOLK, Va. — National Guard Soldiers who had been serving in Iraq since March returned home Saturday evening, according to a press release from the Virginia National Guard.
The Soldiers were greeted by friends and family as they returned to Norfolk, Hampton and Richmond, Virginia.
The soldiers, assigned to Norfolk-based 1st Battalion, 111th Field Artillery Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, conducted a transfer of authority on November 12 at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq to officially end their short-range air defense mission for combined joint task force – Operation Inherent Resolve, the National Guard said.
Soldiers assigned to the Indiana Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 163rd Field Artillery Regiment, known as the Redhawk Battalion, assumed responsibility for the mission.
The National Guard said that while the Norfolk-based 1st Battalion was deployed, around 330 Soldiers were tasked to provide short-range air defense against unmanned aerial systems and rocket artillery and motor attacks.
They protected more than 10,000 coalition forces and critical assets throughout the Central Command area of operations in the Middle East using the Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar System, or C-RAM.
To view a full photo album of the homecoming, click here.
