The first major flight of returning soldiers from a battle-tested Stryker brigade in Afghanistan will arrive at Joint Base Lewis-McChord on Monday night, officials announced Friday.
About 250 troops from the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division will reunite with family and friends at a ceremony scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Monday at Sheridan Gym. The arrival time might change, however, because of the complexities of military transport.
The brigade deployed last July to Afghanistan, where it has faced hard fighting primarily in Kandahar province in the south. Most of its nearly 4,000 soldiers will round out the year-long deployment by coming home before the end of July.
This early-returning group is made up of a mix of soldiers from each of the brigade’s various battalions, said Catherine Caruso, a Lewis-McChord spokeswoman.
An even-earlier group of comparable size, known as the advance party, flew home in the past few weeks to less fanfare. The job of these men and women is to prepare and make life more comfortable for the return of the main body of soldiers to follow – everything from signing for barracks keys to making sure the power is on.
The 5th Brigade was the last of the four Stryker brigades that were born at the base south of Tacoma, and the first to deploy to Afghanistan.
It was activated in April 2007 and received orders for Iraq in September 2008. But in February 2009, the Pentagon announced it was redirecting the unit as part of the Obama administration’s buildup of about 12,000 troops in Afghanistan.
It turned out to be a fateful decision. A reported 36 of the brigade’s soldiers have died during the deployment, mostly in bomb blasts. Meanwhile, two other local Stryker brigades now serving in Iraq have had much less enemy contact; they’ve reported losing a total of nine soldiers.
The 5th Brigade also has been at the center of national stories and images related to Afghanistan this past year: President Barack Obama saluting the coffin of a fallen soldier on arrival in the United States; Vice President Joe Biden speaking at the memorial of seven infantrymen who died together in an attack on their Stryker vehicle last October.
The brigade also played a support role in this year’s 31/2-week Marjah operation. Led by the Marines, it was the largest offensive of the war so far.
In recent weeks, however, allegations of dishonorable conduct involving a small group of soldiers have cast a shadow on the brigade. Five soldiers are charged with premeditated murder in the deaths of three Afghan civilians. Four of the soldiers are being held at Lewis-McChord, with the other soon to follow, officials say.
Matt Misterek: 253-597-8472 matt.misterek@thenewstribune.com
CALLING ALL STRYKER FAMILIES
Are you the loved one of a soldier with 5th Brigade or one of the other Stryker brigades returning home this summer? We’d like to hear from you. What kind of preparations are you making? How do you expect life to change when your soldier is home? Send an e-mail to matt.misterek@thenewstribune.com. Please include your name and daytime phone number for possible follow-up.
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