Military Police Unit Returns Home
By SGT John Cervone, Rhode Island National Guard, Combat Journalist
Jul 4, 2008 - 10:44:59 AM
Blackanthem Military News
 |
| Quonset Point, RI, SGT J Cervone greets his son, SPC Eric Cervone. |
QUONSET POINT, Rhode Island - On Thursday, June 26th, one hundred and thirty-five members of the Rhode Island National Guard’s 169th Military Police Company returned home from Al-Anbar province in Iraq, where they spent the past 10 months training Iraqi police officers. They were greeted by hundreds of people crowding orange barriers, some with young children on their shoulders, waving flags and cheering while patriotic music played from speakers and cameras flashed. They arrived on two C-130J Hercules transport planes from Fort Dix, N.J. The planes arrived at 9:45 a.m., flying low over the hangar where the crowd waited. A cheer went up and continued as the two aircraft banked and then landed. As they taxied to a stop, two soldiers stood outside hatches at the top of each plane, one holding the unit’s flag, the other an American flag. The 169th, based in Warren, Rhode Island, is the oldest National Guard unit in Rhode Island, with a history going back to the Revolutionary War. Its members come from Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts. While in country, the unit members went out on patrols with Iraqi officers as part of the training and helped set up police stations throughout Al-Anbar province. The unit’s work will probably have a positive lasting effect in the Al-Anbar province, once considered one of the most dangerous regions in the country.
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
 |
| Quonset Point, RI,C-130J landing with soldiers of the 169th MP Company. |
|
 |
| Relatives of 169th MP Company soldiers welcoming them home. |
|
 |
| Relatives of 169th MP Company soldiers welcoming them home. |
|
 |
| Rhode Island Governor Donald L. Carcieri greets members of the 169th MP Company as they return home to Rhode Island. |
|