Official Company Welcome Home Ceremony, B 2-211

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sept 21, 2007

Official Company “Welcome Home” Ceremony

Family and friends will gather to officially celebrate the return of the Soldiers of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 211 General Support Aviation Battalion following their 22-month deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

B Co had almost 80 Soldiers deployed for 16 months overseas. They spent 4 months training stateside and 12 months on the ground in Iraq. They flew CH-47 Chinooks out of Logistics Support Area Anaconda in Balad, Iraq. They suffered no combat injuries. The ceremony will take place from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm on Sunday, September 23rd, at Highland Park, St Paul, MN.

Flying CH-47 Chinook Cargo Helicopters, the unit was known in Iraq as “The Bootleggers.” The unit arrived in the Middle East in late August of 2006 as Task Force Blackjack under the 36th Combat Aviation Brigade. While operating out of Balad, Iraq the CH-47’s flew over 7,000 Combat Flight Hours and conducted over 100 air assaults. Overall, Taskforce Blackjack flew 5,400 combat missions that totaled 23,000 flight hours, delivered 15,500 troops into enemy objectives and flew 17 hostages to safety.

The unit returned home to the United States on August 12, 2007 and returned safely to Minnesota on the 18th of August.

MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA ARE INVITED to attend the Welcome Home ceremony for Company B, 2-211 General Support Aviation Battalion. The ceremony is scheduled from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm on Sunday, September 23rd, at Highland Park, 1358 Montreal Ave, St Paul, Pavilion. Enter the parking lot off Montreal (between Edgcumbe and West 7th).

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Staff Sgt Daniel Ewer
Minnesota National Guard Public Affairs
651-268-8676
mn.ng.web@mail.mil
Web: www.MinnesotaNationalGuard.org

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