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Fairchild welcomes 81st HBTC home

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Natasha E. Stannard
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  Team Fairchild along with Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire and members of the Army National Guard welcomed the return of the Army National Guard 81st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, which served nine months in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, here Aug. 6.

The soldiers marched off the plane into formation where they were cheered for by their loved ones as Governor Gregoire and Air Force Maj. Gen. Timothy J. Lowenberg, Adjutant General of Washington; Camp Murray, Wash., praised their accomplishments.

"When I visited Iraq, I was a proud American, but I came home even prouder," Governor Gregoire said. 

The 81st HBCT is made up of six battalions and a headquarters company consisting of soldiers from the Washington Army National Guard and California Army National Guard. The soldiers went through approximately seven weeks of training at Fort McCoy, Wis., and Kuwait before they left for Iraq in October 2008. The members were split into 10 different bases throughout Iraq.

They excelled in duties ranging from convoy security, base defense and sustainment operations. 

The 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry, conducted combat security missions out of Joint Base Balad, Iraq, in which they transported 110 million gallons of fuel, 600,000 tons of supplies and 120 million gallons of water throughout Iraq. Alpha Company, which is made up of soldiers from various parts of Washington including Spokane, Wash., traveled more than 1.7 million miles in convoy missions and conducted 1,830 force protection operations. 

"The soldiers of the 81st Brigade Combat Team have brought a measure of stability to a people plagued by conflict and have given the people of Washington reason to be proud," General Lowenberg said.