547th Transportation Co. Returning from Iraq

WASHINGTON, DC (03/15/2010)(readMedia)-- Members of the DC National Guard's 547th Transportation Co. and 104th Maintenance Detachment are returning home here Tuesday through Friday after a year-long deployment in Iraq. The media is invited to welcome them home. They will arrive at Baltimore Washington International Airport on several separate flights during the week and then return to the District of Columbia National Guard Armory over the four-day period.

-- Date/Time – March 16-19, 2010 (see schedule for tentative times below)

-- Location – BWI and DC National Guard Armory, 2001 E. Capital Street, Washington, D.C. 20003

Tentative schedule subject to change:

-- 44 soldiers will arrive at BWI on three different flights Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

-- 20 soldiers will arrive at BWI Wednesday at 3 p.m.

-- 22 soldiers will arrive at BWI on Thursday at 3 p.m.

-- 26 soldiers will arrive at BWI on Friday at 3 p.m.

Once they arrive at BWI they will board ground transportation to the Armory. It will take from an hour to 90 minutes for them to be driven to the Armory. Some of the units's soldiers have already returned home.

For some of the soldiers, this was their third deployment to Iraq since Sept. 11, 2001. The 547th first deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from April 2003 to April 2004. During that mobilization, a member of the 547th, Spec. Darryl Dent, was killed from an IED attack. A platoon from the 547th also deployed from September 2006 to September 2007.

The 104th Maintenance was called to active duty in February 2003. This time, the 547th and 104th deployed to Balad, Iraq together.

Specialists Chandra and LaShawn Miller and their mother, Sgt. Marcia Reid, deployed as a family and were featured by the Washington Post prior to their deployment.

For more information, contact the DC National Guard Public Affairs Office at (202) 685-9862 or kevin.m.mcandrews@us.army.mil