By Andrea May Sahouri, Des Moines Register
After about a year in the Middle East, the Iowa National Guard’s Boone-based aviation unit — the “Charlie Company Griffins” — is home.
The Iowa National Guard hosted a ceremony at Camp Dodge on Saturday evening for the 60 soldiers of Charlie Company, who returned from their deployment in September and October. The ceremony was planned not just to welcome the soldiers home, but to also thank them for their service.
“It is good to recognize the troops for the hard work and accomplishment and the sacrifices they had to do while deployed. The troops need to hear it. Sometimes they don’t think that they need to but they always need to hear that they did a good job,” 1st Sgt. Jason Zeliadt said.
Zeliadt was among the soldiers of Charlie Company who returned home. Zeliadt has served in the Iowa National Guard for 26 years and has been deployed three times, he told the Register. As a father of three children, time spent with family is something he doesn’t take for granted.
“It’s awesome being back home, seeing my kids growing up again. Being part of the family,” said Zeliadt, 44.
He missed little things, like building Legos with his children.
Captain Brian Kuennen is also a father. He, too, missed watching his 4-year-old son grow up.
“It’s always good to be home,” said Kuennen, 35.
Now that he’s reunited with his family after his first deployment, he told the Register all he wants to do is reset and relax with them.
The mission of aviation regiment Charlie Company, the Iowa National Guard’s 2nd of the 147th Assault Helicopter Battalion, was to “provide air movement and air assault operations to support combat operations” in Iraq, Kuwait, and Jordan, according to an Iowa National Guard news release. Charlie Company was previously deployed in support of Kosovo Force in 2010 and Operation Enduring Freedom in 2014, the news release added.
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https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2021/01/24/iowa-national-guard-welcomes-home-60-soldiers-camp-dodge-ceremony/6669672002/