It’s homecoming day for nearly 70 Colorado Army National Guardsmen deployed to Afghanistan.
Soldiers of Detachment 1, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 135th General Support Aviation are scheduled to return to Buckley Air Force Base at 1 p.m. today.
Gov. John Hickenlooper and other officials are scheduled to attend the homecoming for the soldiers, who have been deployed for 12 months, the bulk of that time in Afghanistan.
The company, which operates the massive Chinook helicopters used to move troops and equipment, was based in Kandahar and surrounding bases and spent the year transporting troops and cargo throughout the country.
“We are so proud to welcome home these Colorado Army National Guard Soldiers,” Hickenlooper said in a statement from the Guard announcing the homecoming. “A one-year deployment is a tremendous sacrifice for each soldier and his or her family here at home.”
Throughout the deployment, the Guardsmen flew more than 6,000 hours, transported more than 48,000 troops, and moved more than 6.5 million pounds of cargo, the statement said.
The unit suffered one combat loss when Chief Warrant Officer 4 Dave Carter was killed in action along with 30 service members Aug. 6 when their helicopter was shot down over Wardak province.
Welcome home! Thanks for your service! God Bless!