ARLINGTON, Va. - This year, some Guardmembers have more reason to celebrate being home for the holidays. Family, friends and fellow Citizen-Soldiers gathered to honor returning Soldiers of the Operational Support Airlift Command (OSACOM) during a Freedom Salute and welcome home ceremony at Davison Army Airfield, Va., Nov. 16.
The ceremony included an unfurling of the OSACOM colors to symbolize the unit's safe return from deployment, while the unit commander thanked families for their love and support of their Soldiers.
"We want to thank you all for the cards and letters, the care packages, the constant thoughts and prayers," said Lt. Col. Pat Weber. "But especially for the understanding you showed in allowing this team to complete its mission. We hope it is plain [to see] that your sacrifice ensured that this team made a difference. You have our lasting thanks and admiration."
The unit consists of aviators from the Army National Guard's Operational Support Airlift Command (OSACOM) that is based at Davison. The command is the headquarters for four Army Guard regional flight centers and a focal point for 53 flight detachments. It operates more than 60 Army planes in 53 states and territories and flies around the world in support of the Department of Defense.
At the time of their alert in August 2006, OSACOM needed to reorganize from its then-present structure to resemble a Theater Aviation Battalion, and they called in reinforcements. About 25 volunteers came from the Guard Bureau, 30 from the Missouri Army Guard's 20th Combat Aviation Brigade, and a few individuals came from the Individual Ready Reserve or active duty. All told, 26 different states were represented in the makeup of the deploying unit.
Their deployment marked the first time a headquarters element from the National Guard Bureau, based in Arlington, Va., deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The OSACOM Soldiers deployed to Iraq from December 2006 to October 2007 as part of the 36th Combat Aviation Brigade. Task Force Rockstar, as they called themselves, maintained command and control of all Army fixed-wing utility and cargo operations for Multinational Corps-Iraq.
We would receive about 40-50 separate mission requests per day, explained Maj. Matthew Jordan, an assistant operations officer who ran the tactical operations center. We would organize those requests into four to six flights every day, transporting everything from four-star generals to cargo.
Their efforts helped to limit the number of convoys traveling each day. Not only did they keep over 1,400 vehicles and nearly 6,000 Soldiers off the dangerous roads of Iraq, but their success no doubt enabled more Soldiers to also make it home for holidays in the future.
Each returning Soldier was presented with an encased American flag along with other memorabilia as part of the Freedom Salute ceremony. The unit also received special recognition of their performance as they were awarded the Army Superior Unit Award.
Senior leadership also took time to recognize and present awards to several family members for their outstanding efforts to support the deployed unit.