Alpha Co. Soldiers honored at Bedford Welcome Home Parade
Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Bedford-based Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team are honored for their federal active duty service in Africa at a welcome home parade hosted by the Bedford Boys Tribute Center Feb. 11, 2023, in Bedford, Virginia. More than 100 Soldiers marched in the parade along with local first responders, civic organizations and Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps units. Mayor of Bedford Tim Black, National D-Day Memorial President April Cheek-Messier and Maj. Gen. John M. Rhodes, 29th Infantry Division commanding general, all delivered remarks thanking the Soldiers for their service and their families and the Bedford community for their support. Rhodes presented 29th ID certificates of appreciation to Black, Cheek-Messier and Ken and Linda Parker, founders of the Bedford Boys Tribute Center. Alpha Company mobilized as part of Task Force Red Dragon to conduct a security mission for Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa from November 2021 through September 2022. The Troutville-based 29th Infantry Division Band provided ceremonial music for the event. Read more about the unit at ngpa.us/24035. (U.S. National Guard photo by Cotton Puryear)
Alpha Co. Soldiers honored at Bedford Welcome Home Parade
Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Bedford-based Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team are honored for their federal active duty service in Africa at a welcome home parade hosted by the Bedford Boys Tribute Center Feb. 11, 2023, in Bedford, Virginia. More than 100 Soldiers marched in the parade along with local first responders, civic organizations and Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps units. Mayor of Bedford Tim Black, National D-Day Memorial President April Cheek-Messier and Maj. Gen. John M. Rhodes, 29th Infantry Division commanding general, all delivered remarks thanking the Soldiers for their service and their families and the Bedford community for their support. Rhodes presented 29th ID certificates of appreciation to Black, Cheek-Messier and Ken and Linda Parker, founders of the Bedford Boys Tribute Center. Alpha Company mobilized as part of Task Force Red Dragon to conduct a security mission for Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa from November 2021 through September 2022. The Troutville-based 29th Infantry Division Band provided ceremonial music for the event. Read more about the unit at ngpa.us/24035. (U.S. National Guard photo by Cotton Puryear)