SALEM, Ore. - The Oregon National Guard welcomed home the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, or IBCT, in a demobilization ceremony Sept. 6 at the Salem Armory Auditorium.
The 41st IBCT returned in July from a year-long deployment to Kosovo as part of the NATO-led Kosovo Force, or KFOR, mission.
The 41st IBCT served as part of KFOR's 34th rotation, contributing to what the 41st IBCT Commander Col. Peter Helzer described as "the longest and most successful NATO mission in the history of the alliance."
The deployment to Kosovo was crucial for maintaining peace and stability in the region, a mission that has been ongoing since 1999.
“The 41st mission supporting Operation JOINT GUARDIAN directly supported our national interests and security, bringing value and pride to our state and our nation,” said Brig. Gen. Alan R. Gronewold, the adjutant general of the Oregon National Guard.
The brigade's support was widespread, encompassing security forces, logisticians, medical professionals, intelligence analysts and a command team stationed at various locations, including Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Pristina, Kosovo; and Bondsteel, Kosovo.
They completed more than 4,000 security patrols, 13,000 public engagements and 5,000 volunteer hours supporting communities in Kosovo.
Gronewold expressed his gratitude to the families and loved ones of the 41st IBCT Soldiers, thanking them for their resilience.
“While your loved ones were deployed, you carried the weight of the home front with grace and courage,” Gronewold said. “Your sacrifices made their mission possible, and we recognize that their service is truly a family commitment.”
The 41st IBCT continues its long legacy of service, tracing its lineage to the 41st Infantry Division, whose members served in World War I and performed the longest overseas service of any division in the U.S. in the Pacific during World War II.