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 | Dec. 28, 2011

N.C. National Guard drives into history as last convoy out of Iraq

By Sgt. Miko Booth North Carolina National Guard

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - In the early morning hours of Dec. 18, while most service members stationed here were sleeping, a small group of Soldiers from the North Carolina Army National Guard's 1452nd Transportation Company, were riding into history as the last military convoy to depart Iraq.

"It was just surreal," said Army National Guard Sgt. Alan DuBois. "I was actually on the very last mission out of Iraq."

DuBois and 15 other Soldiers were part of the final convoy to leave Iraq, closing the gate on a conflict that has lasted almost nine years.

"All I could think of when I crossed that border was about my wife, who is due in March," DuBois said. "I kept thinking about my unborn daughter, how when she goes to school, she'll read about this and know that her daddy was a part of it."

For many Soldiers of the 1452nd, the road from Iraq to Kuwait is a familiar one. This is the second time the unit has been mobilized for combat. The unit deployed from 2004 to 2005 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II, earning more than 250 Army Commendation Medals and 30 Bronze Star Medals.

One of the Soldiers who knew this exact route, due in part to having been on the previous deployment, is Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Antuane Simmons.

"I'm so thankful that we made it through two tours," Simmons said. "Being on the last convoy was important to me because it means that we made sure that all of our brothers and sisters in uniform made it safely back home."

The Soldiers have been conducting numerous convoys between Iraq and Kuwait to assist and support Operation New Dawn and the responsible drawdown of forces in Iraq since the unit arrived in Kuwait in September.

"Everything we did on this last convoy-down to the smallest things like locking doors or pressing the gas pedal down-… was the last time we'll be doing it in Iraq," said Army National Guard Pfc. Jordan Miller.

"When we left [Contingency Operating Base] Adder, I looked in the side mirrors," he said. "Where there would normally be Soldiers and lights, there was nothing. When we reached K-Crossing [the Khabari Al Awazem Crossing], it wasn't a transition point. It was now the site for a conclusion."

When Army National Guard Sgt. Schjuana Suggs passed through K-Crossing, she couldn't help but feel as though a major chapter in her military career had just closed.

"I raised my right hand for the first time at the Brooklyn, New York MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) on September 11, 2001," Suggs said. "After I enlisted, I went to a holding room where I saw the planes crash into the twin towers on TV.

"My first deployment in Iraq was scary, but I loved serving my country. I'm happy to be one of the ones closing Iraq. It's definitely an accomplishment for me," she said.

Army National Guard Sgt. Daniel SaintSing graduated high school in 2003, at the beginning of the war in Iraq. For SaintSing, Iraq has been a war zone for most of his adult life.

"It'll be interesting to see how this changes things back home," he said. "I'm so proud to have been a part of this historic crossing."

The 16 Soldiers admit that they now have a unique bond, and will never forget the experience of representing the state of North Carolina in the last convoy.

The Soldiers have safely returned to their main base here, anxiously awaiting their next mission.

"But right now, I'm just tired and hungry," he said. "That is one long drive."

 

 

Related Articles
The 111th Electromagnetic Warfare Company conducts training exercise, Operation Golden Corridor in Dahlonega, Georgia, August 15, 2025. Throughout the duration of the exercise, Soldiers simulated peer and near-peer electromagnetic warfare scenarios and enhance unit proficiency in spectrum mapping, RF detection, and alternative radar awareness capabilities under austere conditions.
Georgia Guard Company Leads in Electromagnetic Warfare Modernization
By | Aug. 27, 2025
DAHLONEGA, Ga. - The Georgia Army National Guard’s 111th Electromagnetic Warfare Company, based in Forest Park, Georgia, is rapidly establishing itself as a leader in the Army’s modernization efforts within the...

Soldiers from the 1st Battalion 182nd Infantry Regiment, Massachusetts Army National Guard, and the 1st Battalion 69th Infantry Regiment, New York Army National Guard, participated in the annual Logan-Duffy Shooting Match, August 21, 2025, at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. The history of the Logan Duffy Rifle Match goes back nearly 90 years to the first match, which was held in 1936.
Massachusetts, New York Guard Members Compete in Historic Logan-Duffy Rifle Competition
By Sgt. 1st Class Steven Eaton,   | Aug. 27, 2025
DEVENS, Mass. – Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 182nd Infantry Regiment, Massachusetts Army National Guard, and the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, New York Army National Guard, participated in the annual Logan-Duffy...

An Alaska Air National Guard HH-60G Pave Hawk assigned to the 210th Rescue Squadron a real-world rescue operation at Point MacKenzie, Alaska, Sept. 1, 2022. After a Christen A-1 Husky crashed into a marsh, National Guardsmen rappelled and conducted a rescue operation, ensuring the aircraft was safely vacated. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Julia Lebens)
Alaska Air Guard Rescues Individual With Facial Laceration Near Knik Glacier
By Alejandro Pena, | Aug. 27, 2025
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Alaska Air National Guard members with the 176th Wing rescued an individual with a facial laceration Aug. 25, about 40 miles northeast of Anchorage in the vicinity of Knik Glacier.The...