Last of ND troops to return from Kosovo on Wednesday

July 27, 2010

According to the North Dakota National Guard:

FARGO, N.D. — The last group of North Dakota National Guard Soldiers who were deployed to Kosovo will return home tomorrow. About 40 Soldiers remained in Kosovo for the Transfer of Authority ceremony on Saturday, which formally presented command to the Puerto Rico Army National Guard.

Among the Soldiers returning tomorrow is Brig. Gen. Al Dohrmann, of Bismarck, N.D., who led Multi-National Battle Group East, which was comprised of forces from the U.S., Romania, Ukraine, Turkey, Poland and Greece.

About 650 North Dakota Soldiers served in the NATO peacekeeping mission, with about 150 returning in May and nearly 400 returning last Thursday, Friday and Saturday. With the exception of a few Soldiers who volunteered to remain in Kosovo for a second year, tomorrow’s return will bring all of the Kosovo Force (KFOR) 12 Soldiers from North Dakota home. The mission became the largest single deployment of the North Dakota National Guard since the Korean War.

The public is encouraged to show their support for these returning Soldiers by welcoming them home at the following times and places tomorrow, July 28.

· Delta Flight 2363, 12:18 p.m., Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
· United Airlines Flight 5800, 2:27 p.m., Bismarck Airport
· Delta Flight 3920, 2:32 p.m., Grand Forks International Airport
· Delta Flight 4503, 2:40 p.m., Bismarck Airport
· Delta Flight 3329, 4:26 p.m., Bismarck Airport
· Delta Flight 5735, 4:28 p.m. Minot Airport
· American Airlines Flight 4084, 4:49 p.m., Fargo’s Hector International Airport
· United Airlines Flight 6027, 6:03 p.m., Fargo’s Hector International Airport
· Delta Flight 1832, 7 p.m., Bismarck Airport