CHARLESTON, W.Va. –
Thirty-five Soldiers and Airmen of the West Virginia Army and Air National Guard have recently returned home from overseas deployments in the last week, including 13 members of the 130th Airlift Wing’s Security Forces Squadron (SFS), who returned to Charleston last night.
The 130th SFS defenders were deployed for six months to Southwest Asia. The Airmen provided force protection and installation security at their deployed location while supporting current U.S. operations.
Last week, the 130th AW also welcomed home a service member who had served a six month deployment in Kuwait for Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve as a public affairs specialist.
The West Virginia Army National Guard welcomed home 21 Soldiers on Oct. 10th, from the 156th Military Police Law and Order Detachment, located in Holden, W.Va. The Soldiers served a nine month deployment to Afghanistan where they provided 24-hour operations at the two largest bases in country – Bagram and Kandahar Air Fields – and issued traffic citations, conducted patrols and investigations.
“It’s not just about taking care of the state of West Virginia, it’s about taking care of National Security issues,” said Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, Adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard. “The Guard continues to play a major role in making those things happen.”
Currently, the West Virginia National Guard has more than 250 Soldiers and Airmen deployed to 15 countries around the world in support of U.S. national security objectives.