CHEEKTOWAGE, N.Y. - One hundred and twenty-one New York Army National Guard members returned home to western New York in time to celebrate Veterans Day with their families.
The Soldiers from the Buffalo-based 152nd Engineer Support Company, or ESC, completed a nine-month deployment to Djibouti, Somalia and Kenya, where they provided critical engineering and construction support to ongoing counterterrorism operations.
“Today, on Veterans Day, we welcome home our Soldiers — men and women who carried our flag overseas and upheld the values of the United States Army and the National Guard,” said Col. William Snyder, commander of the 153rd Troop Command Brigade, and the senior officer who welcomed the 152nd ESC home in Buffalo.
“Their service reminds us that freedom isn’t guaranteed — it’s defended every day by ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things," Snyder said.
The Soldiers flew into the cargo terminal at Buffalo-Niagara International Airport after demobilizing at Fort Bliss, Texas.
The 152nd ESC completed 205 construction projects valued at more than $7.5 million during its time overseas.
“We were the de facto hard contractors, if you will, on any engineering projects throughout the Horn of Africa,” said Capt. Daniel Roche, commander of the 152nd ESC.
“We’re comprised of plumbers, carpenters, electricians, heavy equipment operators. So really anything and everything that had to do with force protection improvements, keeping people safer and, also, base improvements," Roche said.
The company’s work included building aid stations and bunkers, improving perimeter walls and upgrading operations centers for Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa, a U.S. force conducting counterterrorism operations in the region. They also responded when monsoon rains caused flooding at base facilities across the region, using pumps to drain water and shoring up water-logged defenses.
The 152nd ESC mobilized for deployment at the historic Connecticut Street Armory in Buffalo on Jan. 2. After training in Texas and flying to Africa, they assumed their mission from an Alabama National Guard ESC on Feb. 11, nine months to the day before they returned home.
The deployment also marked the 152nd ESC’s first overseas activation as a whole company, earning the unit its first campaign streamer.
“The Army National Guard’s unique mission bridges the home front and the front line. The 152nd ESC proved they were ready when called, and there when needed,” said Lt. Col. Nicholas Whaley, commander of the 204th Engineer Battalion, the 152nd ESC’s first higher headquarters in New York.
“Their families showed what it means to support husbands, wives, sons and daughters in uniform, and we can’t thank them enough for making their Soldiers’ sacrifices possible," he added.
Those families waited eagerly outside the Buffalo Niagara International Airport with welcome home signs, warm embraces and wishes for a happy Veterans Day as their Soldiers returned from Fort Bliss, Texas, where they completed demobilization.
“It’s a blessing to be back,” said Sgt. Spencer Sklar, a horizontal construction engineer. “It’s been a long nine, ten months. I’m just excited to see family and friends.”
A close friend of Sklar’s picked him up as part of a plan to surprise his parents, who didn’t know their son was back in the country.
Sklar said he was looking forward to continuing his tradition of celebrating Veterans Day by sharing a meal with his father, grandfather and brother – all of whom served in uniform.
“It’s exciting to actually go back and have a few fun memories with them,” he said.