Hoeven, Sprynczynatyk announce units’ return
By ELOISE OGDEN, Regional Editor eogden@minotdailynews.com
POSTED: April 15, 2008
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The units are the Minot-based 164th Engineer Battalion Security Forces and the Grand Forks-based 132nd Quartermaster Company, the latter which has detachments in Bottineau, Rugby and Cando.
Family members and friends of soldiers with the 164th were happy to hear the unit serving in Iraq could be soon back in Minot, possibly as soon as late next week.
The 132nd is also expected to arrive in the U.S. within seven to 10 days.
Hoeven and Sprynczynatyk brought the homecoming news to 164th family members and friends Monday morning in the theater of the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Minot. They traveled to Camp Grafton near Devils Lake later in the day to announce the 132nd’s return.
“The good news” is the unit is coming home, Hoeven said of the 164th’s return to Minot. The unit deployed last year with 119 soldiers.
Hoeven said the 164th soldiers are scheduled to return to the states around April 20, first going to Camp Shelby, Miss.
When the soldiers return next week, Sprynczynatyk said he will be there along with 27 other personnel for the outprocessing.
Sprynczynatyk said he fully expects the soldiers will be out of Camp Shelby within a week and back home to Minot – if everything falls in place – by the end of next week.
The 132nd Quartermaster Company will demobilize at Fort Hood, Texas. A National Guard team will also be sent to Fort Hood to help expedite the demobilization process for that unit. The unit also began serving in Iraq last year.
“Your soldiers did a fantastic job and we appreciate their service – what they are doing for our country and also they represent our state of North Dakota so well. Our North Dakota National Guard – our Army Guard and Air Guard – are absolutely the best anywhere,” Hoeven told the family members and friends in Minot.
He said the 119 soldiers of the 164th are from 29 communities in North Dakota. In Iraq, he said they were stationed at Camp Victory where the 164th-led security forces also included soldiers from Minnesota, Iowa and California. He said they had the responsibility to patrol and provide security for a significant area there. He said it’s an important mission and the North Dakota soldiers did “tremendously well.”
Sprynczynatyk and Maj. Steve Johnson, officer in charge of the 164th Engineer Battalion, reiterated that the North Dakota soldiers did a tremendous and successful job in Iraq. Sprynczynatyk said he visited the unit in January when he was in Iraq.
“They were proud of what they were doing and there’s no doubt they were very successful,” he said.
He said he has heard complimentary reports from higher headquarters of the 164th soldiers’ work.
“It made me feel just wonderful because the commanders couldn’t say enough about how great the soldiers from North Dakota are,” Sprynczynatyk said.
Hoeven and Guard officials commended the family support for all the soldiers which they said is very important to the mission.
Johnson said no soldiers were injured during the deployment.
“Everyone is eager for their return,” he said.
Lt. Col. Steven Jahner, Bismarck, is commander of the 164th Engineer Security Forces and the senior enlisted soldier is Command Sgt. Maj. Harley Schwind, Mandan.
The 132nd Quartermaster Company, a water purification unit mobilized with 21 soldiers in May 2007, has been serving in Iraq since last July. The unit is commanded by 1st Lt. Donald Williams, Bismarck. The senior enlisted soldier, Staff Sgt. Kenneth Weber, is from Devils Lake.
Hoeven urged everyone to get together for a “good welcome home” for the soldiers.
