29th Division members get a welcome home
National Guard troops greeted by VFW post on return from tour in Kuwait
Tiny American flags lined the sidewalk outside the LTC E. Leslie Medford Armory on Monday — surrounded by large green duffel bags — as Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 304 welcomed a group of U.S. Army National Guard soldiers back from eight months spent serving in Kuwait.
Inside the armory red, white and blue covers were hung over tables, and 28 service members and their families were served plates filled with barbecue, macaroni and cheese and cupcakes.
As Staff Sgt. Antonio Vazquez of Hanover got a plate of food with his son, he said the greeting by the VFW “makes you feel good that people still care.”
Post 304 learned last week that members of the 29th Infantry Division were coming home. They organized the event over the weekend and reached out to Mission BBQ, which donated food for the welcome-home party.
Jenna Smith, a community liaison for Mission BBQ’s Dock Street location, said any time there is an event involving military, police or firefighters they typically donate their food.
“It’s our mission, for sure,” she said.
The troops left Kuwait on July 2, according to Sgt. 1st Class John Marshall Hand, and first traveled to Fort Bliss, Texas.
There, they completed reintegration training, medical evaluation and administrative duties as part of the transition from federal active duty to traditional National Guard status, according to a Facebook page for the division.
While in Kuwait the division was a part of Operation Spartan Shield, supporting other missions in the region, Hand said.
The Maryland Guard members arrived
Inside the armory red, white and blue covers were hung over tables, and 28 service members and their families were served plates filled with barbecue, macaroni and cheese and cupcakes.
As Staff Sgt. Antonio Vazquez of Hanover got a plate of food with his son, he said the greeting by the VFW “makes you feel good that people still care.”
Post 304 learned last week that members of the 29th Infantry Division were coming home. They organized the event over the weekend and reached out to Mission BBQ, which donated food for the welcome-home party.
Jenna Smith, a community liaison for Mission BBQ’s Dock Street location, said any time there is an event involving military, police or firefighters they typically donate their food.
“It’s our mission, for sure,” she said.
The troops left Kuwait on July 2, according to Sgt. 1st Class John Marshall Hand, and first traveled to Fort Bliss, Texas.
There, they completed reintegration training, medical evaluation and administrative duties as part of the transition from federal active duty to traditional National Guard status, according to a Facebook page for the division.
While in Kuwait the division was a part of Operation Spartan Shield, supporting other missions in the region, Hand said.
The Maryland Guard members arrived
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