ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – More than 550 Minnesota National Guard soldiers are returning home this week after a 10-month deployment in Kuwait. The soldiers of the 34th Infantry Division “Red Bulls” left in February.
“I missed my partner,” said Michelle Brown, a mother of three from Plymouth. “There were a lot of times during the summer when I didn’t have much interaction with adults. When I wasn’t working, I was taking care of the kids.”
Her husband, Major Jim Brown, was on his first mission.
“I’m so happy the kids have their dad home.”
WCCO
Officially, the mission of the deployed soldiers in the Middle East was to train and support regional partners. The War on Terror may be over, but they were still in a rough place – and that was never more apparent than when Iran twice fired hundreds of missiles and drones into Israel. The US, Israel and other allies have shot down almost all of them.
The 34th Infantry Division has previously deployed to Kuwait, including in 2018-2019 in support of Operation Spartan Shield. Minnesota National Guard soldiers also deployed to Iraq from 2009 to 2010, leading the Multi-national Division-South in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Jonas Kaplan
