(WFRV) – About 100 Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers have safely returned to U.S. soil after a 10-month mobilization to Ukraine.

Nearly 50 soldiers from the same unit previously returned to the U.S. in late July. The most-recent returning soldiers represent the last of more than 150 soldiers from the 32nd Red Arrow Infantry Brigade Combat Team Headquarters deployed to Ukraine’s Combat Training Center – Yavoriv in November 2019. where they served as the headquarters element for the training group at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center.

The troops landed at Fort Bliss, Texas, where senior Wisconsin National Guard leaders met them to welcome them home. The unit will spend several weeks completing demobilization requirements at Fort Bliss before returning home to Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin National Guard continues to maintain a high operations tempo in support of both its federal and state missions. Approximately 200 fellow Red Arrow Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry remain in Afghanistan supporting the Army’s 3rd Security Force Assistance Brigade, though 200 additional troops returned from that mission in recent months.

Another 150 Soldiers with the 829th Engineer Company continue operations across the Middle East and Afghanistan. The 924th Engineer Facilities Detachment and the 1967th Contracting Team also continue operations in Kuwait and the Horn of Africa respectively.

  • Wisconsin National Guard senior leaders visit Soldiers of the 32nd “Red Arrow” Infantry Brigade Combat Team Headquarters completing the demobilization process at Fort Hood following their return from deployment in Ukraine. The Unit made up part of Joint Multinational Training Group – Ukraine, serving as the headquarters element for the training group at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center. Wisconsin National Guard photo by Sgt. Alex Baum
  • Wisconsin National Guard senior leaders visit Soldiers of the 32nd “Red Arrow” Infantry Brigade Combat Team Headquarters completing the demobilization process at Fort Hood following their return from deployment in Ukraine. The Unit made up part of Joint Multinational Training Group – Ukraine, serving as the headquarters element for the training group at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center. Wisconsin National Guard photo by Sgt. Alex Baum
  • Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp, Wisconsin’s adjutant general, addresses Soldiers from the 32nd “Red Arrow” Infantry Brigade Combat Team Headquarters during an Aug. 4 leadership visit to Fort Bliss, Texas. The Unit made up part of Joint Multinational Training Group – Ukraine, serving as the headquarters element for the training group at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center. Wisconsin National Guard photo by Sgt. Alex Baum
  • 1st Sgt. Melissa Franz converses with Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp, Wisconsin’s adjutant general, about challenges presented by the COVID-19 global pandemic at home and overseas during an Aug. 4 senior leadership visit to Fort Bliss, Texas. The Unit made up part of Joint Multinational Training Group – Ukraine, serving as the headquarters element for the training group at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center. Wisconsin National Guard photo by Sgt. Alex Baum

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers recently mobilized the National Guard to help with the upcoming August election for the third time this year. There is no word yet how many Citizen-Soldiers will be apart of the mobilization.

More than 2,400 Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen also staffed polling locations during Wisconsin’s April 7 election, and another 160 assisted during a special election in the 7th Congressional District May 12. In late May and early June, more than 1,200 Wisconsin National Guard troops mobilized to state active duty to assist civil authorities in preserving public safety in five cities, including Green Bay, amidst civil unrest. Additional troops responded to Madison in June in the wake of more civil unrest.

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