An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | April 13, 2010

State welcomes home ‘Old Hickory’ Guardsmen

By Pfc. Michelle Nash North Carolina National Guard

RALEIGH, N.C., - Thousands of friends, family and community members gathered here at the RBC Center to welcome home the North Carolina National Guard’s 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team April 11.

The nearly 4,000 Citizen-Soldiers returned home in February after a nine-month deployment to Iraq.

Gov. Beverly E. Perdue opened the ceremony by welcoming the troops home to the most military friendly state in America.

“You’re the best of what North Carolina and this country is all about,” she said. “You continue to do the tough jobs, in the tough places, so the rest of us can enjoy the blessings of calling America home.”

The Soldiers and their families were recognized for their support and commitment to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The 30th HBCT, known as “Old Hickory,” made history with its second deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While a number of National Guard brigades have had multiple deployments, North Carolina was the first to have two BCT missions with their own battle space.

Maj. Gen. William E. Ingram, Jr., the adjutant general of the North Carolina National Guard, addressed the Soldiers of “Old Hickory” and declared their unique role in writing history.

“Today’s ceremony brings a closure to this particular mission, now it becomes a part of history,” said Ingram, “Your accomplishments have permanently written new chapters in the history of your unit, the United States Army and our Republic.”

Col. Gregory A. Lusk, 30th HBCT commander, brought the ceremony to a close and highlighted the brigade’s accomplishments.

“This is indeed an ‘Old Hickory’ team that has made its mark in history and significantly contributed to a noble endeavor,” said Lusk.

During their deployment, the 30th HBCT partnered with the Iraqi Security Forces to carry out combined security operations and civil capacity improvement.

The brigade brought hope to the region with water, school, road, sewer and electrical projects. The Brigade Soldiers’ farming expertise also aided local agribusiness projects.

But taking the fight to the enemy did not come without a cost. The 30th suffered 29 wounded in action and seven killed in action. Five of those killed were North Carolina National Guard Soldiers.

The brigade is made of two combined arms battalions, an artillery battalion, a special troops battalion and a brigade support battalion located in armories across eastern and central North Carolina and an armored reconnaissance squadron in West Virginia and for this deployment, a military intelligence company from Colorado. The 30th is headquartered in Clinton, N.C.

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Soldiers with the Army National Guard speak with D.C. locals while patrolling Metro Center Aug 26, 2025. About 2,000 National Guard members are supporting the D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission providing critical support to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department in ensuring the safety of all who live, work, and visit the District.
Guard Members From Six States, D.C. on Duty in Washington in Support of Local, Fed Authorities
By Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy, | Aug. 29, 2025
WASHINGTON – More than 2,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from six states and the District of Columbia are on duty in Washington as part of Joint Task Force – District of Columbia in support of local and federal...

Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, Maj. Gen. Russel Honore, Task Force Katrina commander, and Brig. Gen. John Basilica, 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team commander, talk to news media during the aftermath of Hurricane Rita on Sep. 29, 2005. Basilica was appointed commander of Task Force Pelican, responsible for coordinating National Guard hurricane response efforts across the State. The task force included tens of thousands of National Guard Soldiers from Louisiana and other states.
Louisiana Guard’s Tiger Brigade Marks 20th Anniversary of Redeployment and Hurricane Response
By Rhett Breerwood, | Aug. 29, 2025
NEW ORLEANS – This fall, the Louisiana National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, known as the Tiger Brigade, commemorates the 20th anniversary of its redeployment from Iraq in September 2005, coinciding with the...

Alaska Air National Guard HH-60G Pave Hawk aviators and Guardian Angels, assigned to the 210th and 212th Rescue Squadrons, respectively, conduct a hoist rescue demonstration while participating in a multi-agency hoist symposium at Bryant Army Airfield on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 22, 2025. The symposium, hosted by Alaska Army National Guard aviators assigned to Golf Company, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion, included U.S. Coast Guard crews assigned to Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic out of Air Stations Kodiak and Sitka, Alaska Air National Guardsmen with the 176th Wing rescue squadrons, U.S. Army aviators from Fort Wainwright’s 1-52nd General Support Aviation Battalion, Alaska State Troopers, and civilian search and rescue professional volunteers from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group. The collaborative training drew on the participants’ varied backgrounds, experiences, and practices, to enhance hoist proficiency and collective readiness when conducting life-saving search and rescue missions in Alaska’s vast and austere terrain. (Alaska Army National Guard photo by Alejandro Peña)
Alaska Air Guard Conducts Multiple Hoist Rescues of Stranded Rafters on Kichatna River
By Staff Sgt. Seth LaCount, | Aug. 29, 2025
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Alaska Air National Guard members with the 176th Wing rescued three rafters Aug. 28 after their raft flipped over on the Kichatna River.The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center opened...