Wisconsin National Guard soldiers return to Madison after Afghanistan deployment

Wisconsin Army National Guard troops returning to Madison Saturday (Source: Wisconsin National...
Wisconsin Army National Guard troops returning to Madison Saturday (Source: Wisconsin National Guard)(NBC15)
Published: Jun. 6, 2020 at 5:27 PM CDT
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Three dozen Wisconsin Army National Guard soldiers have returned to Dane County after being deployed in Afghanistan for months.

Soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry arrived at the Dane County Airport on Saturday.

Those soldiers mobilized in July 2019 to perform a “guardian angel” mission, the Guard said in a release, to provide assistance to the U.S. Army.

They are the second group of soldiers from the 128th Infantry to return early from their deployment. About 150 soldiers returned home back in April.

Because they flew to a civilian airport, the Guards traveled in civilian clothing, shown in the picture above.

“Since they left about a year ago things have changed in the United States,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Rafael Conde, the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s senior enlisted leader, in a release. “We’re still dealing with a pandemic. We’ve got a nearly 1,300 Soldiers and Airmen on pandemic response.”