Soldiers to return to Minn.

Published 6:45 pm Saturday, April 7, 2012

Military families across the state can get ready to open their arms — the Minnesota National Guard is coming home.

Nearly 3,000 Minnesota National Guard soldiers are scheduled to return to Minnesota over the next three weeks after serving in Afghanistan and Kuwait during the last year, according to a National Guard press release.

Neither state nor local officials know an exact date when soldiers will return, but they do know that some local soldiers will be returning by bus directly to Austin, Albert Lea and many other nearby armories.

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According to Paul Spyhalski, chair for Austin’s Beyond the Yellow Ribbon group, roughly 35 area soldiers from various National Guard companies could return to Austin within weeks. Though he said that information is not official, he hopes to hold a welcoming ceremony at the Austin Armory when the soldiers arrive.

“We knew they were coming back,” Spyhalski said. “We didn’t know it could be quite this soon.”

Last May, soldiers from around the state deployed to Kuwait from late May to September to execute Operation New Dawn, the final drawdown of troops and weapons from the Iraq War. It was the second-largest Minnesota National Guard deployment since World War II.

“This is an extremely busy time for the Minnesota National Guard as soldiers are demobilizing at multiple locations across the U.S.,” said Army Lt. Col. Kevin A. Olson, Minnesota National Guard Director of Public Affairs.

According to Spyhalski and officials at the Austin Armory, local soldiers may be going through some shifts. Austin’s former 1135th Infantry Regiment moved to Arden Hills last winter; however, some of those soldiers may be joining Austin’s new 224th Transportation Company, along with other soldiers who were previously moved to Albert Lea and Mankato. That means they too could be coming to Austin in the next coming weeks.

Albert Lea’s Delta Company will return to Camp Shelby in Mississippi, a demobilization site. Demobilization is the term for the transition between a deployment and return to civilian life. Soldiers will undergo medical and dental examinations, attend briefings on federal and state benefits, conduct equipment turn in and fill out necessary documents, according to Army Maj. Gen. Gerald Halloran, mobilization readiness officer for the Guard.

Yet not all local soldiers may be coming home at one time, as soldiers are leaving Kuwait at different times.

Spyhalski said he may not know when the soldiers return until two to three days before they come to Austin. Look to the Herald in the coming weeks to see a potential welcoming ceremony time and date.