D.C. National Guard celebrates being home for the holidays--recognizes 10 years of overseas combat service Sun

WASHINGTON, DC (12/01/2012)(readMedia)-- This year marks the first time all D.C. National Guardsmen are home for the holidays since 9/11. Their military service of the past decade will be honored this Sunday at the D.C. National Guard Armory beginning at 9 a.m. Immediately following the ceremony, at approximately 11am, a UH-1V helicopter installed outside the Armory will be dedicated. The event is open to the public and the media is invited to attend.

The men, women and families of the D.C. National Guard will be honored during a ceremony at the D.C. National Guard Armory at 9 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 2. The focus of the ceremony is on the hundreds of D.C. Guard members who have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, Chief, National Guard Bureau Gen. Frank Grass and President of the National Guard Association of the United States Maj. Gen. (ret.) Gus Hargett are scheduled to present awards and make remarks.

With the return of the 113th Security Forces Squadron and 273rd Military Police Company in October, this year marks the first time all Army and Air National Guard units from the D.C. National Guard are home for the holidays since the start of the Global War on Terrorism.

Over 1,300 D.C. Army and Air Guardsmen have served in deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past ten years. The D.C. National Guard has continued to support domestic missions such as Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Irene, Hurricane Sandy, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial dedication and the largest Presidential Inauguration in the nation's history. They are currently preparing to support the 57th Inauguration.

Sunday's event is open to the public and the media is invited to attend.

For more information contact Miranda Summers Lowe at (301) 693-3941.