Home Again!
A heartfelt "thank you" for service and sacrifice was at the core the deactivation ceremony for South Dakota Army National Guard's Bravo Battery, 1-147th Field Artillery Battalion and 147th Forward Support Company (FSC) Saturday at the Lincoln High School gym in Sioux Falls.
At the ceremony, 112 soldiers were joined by family and friends for the first time in almost a year since their deployment to Europe last December. The soldiers have been stateside since Oct. 14, at Fort Bliss, Texas, preparing for demobilization prior for their return to South Dakota.
Gov. Kristi Noem, Adj. Gen. Jeff Marlette, Cpt. Daniel LaMack, U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds and John Thune, and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson each took a few moments to address those assembled and thanked the solders for their service, and their families and employers for their sacrifices.
Noem said she was proud to have the soldiers back home, and offered a story to show how many people shared her feelings.
"A couple of weeks ago, we did not know that this would be the day you would be back home," she said. "It happens to also be the weekend of the Governor's Pheasant Hunt."
The Governor's Hunt, a way to raise political awareness about hunting in South Dakota, was instituted in the 1950s by South Dakota's 20th governor, Joe Foss, and revived and expanded in the 1980s by Gov. Bill Janklow.
Last week, there were about 500 people pheasant hunting around Pierre Saturday, Noem said.
"I was with them at dinner last night and I told them that even though it's called the Governor's Pheasant Hunt, I wasn't going to be with them because I was going to come here to welcome you all home," Noem said. "I want you to know that they all stood up and gave a standing ovation that lasted over a minute to thank you for your service."
The hunters group was comprised of people from many communities across the state as well as people from out of state; visitors thinking of relocating to South Dakota and South Dakota businesses that are thinking about expansion, she said.
"They were all so proud of you," she said. "They want you to know how grateful they are for your service to this country."
Marlette lauded the soldiers and all those who supported them in the commitment to serve their country.
"I want to thank our employers, who sacrificed so that we could do our job," Marlette said. "To our family members, you are appreciated as much as the hero; we couldn't do what we do without you."
He thanked the solders for being members of what he called the "1 Percent Club."
"The 1 percent of Americans who are willing to raise their hand and when the time comes and say, ‘Take me; I will go,'" he said. "Don't ever underestimate that. You are part of a deep group of less than 1 percent of this country who is willing to put on that uniform and go serve. So thank you for that service."
Along with commending the soldiers for a job well done, Rounds, a former governor, expressed thanks to the families who had to make do with texts and video chats with their loved ones over the last year.
"Thank you to the young men and women that make up this battery. You come together as a single team and you accomplish the mission," Rounds said. "To your families, thank you for your service and your sacrifice. It's never easy to have a loved one leave. On behalf of this grateful nation, we say, ‘Thank you,' and to the families in particular."
Johnson, whose mother was raised in a military family, shared a story about why the families are prepared to make those sacrifices, even in times when the only contact they could hope for would be through the mail.
He said he was sitting with his grandmother at his grandfather's hospice bed. His grandfather had served in the military at home and abroad, and was separated from his family for months at a time, Johnson said.
"I said, ‘Grandma, was it tough?' She didn't answer for a second of two, and then she nodded once and said, ‘Your grandfather was a hero in the United States Army," he said. "I had never heard her use that world before— ‘hero.'"
Being characterized as a hero would have upset and embarrassed his grandfather, who had never been awarded the Purple Heart or the Silver Star, the congressman said.
"But at that moment, a moment of real vulnerability, an honest moment, a moment where the truth in her heart stood up, and she used the word hero," Johnson said. "You have to read between the lines a little bit. She (meant), ‘It was not easy. There were lonely days and there were hard months, but he didn't serve because it was easy; he served because it was important, and that was all worth it."
Thune thanked the soldiers for their role in protecting freedoms in the U.S. and in supporting our allies around the world
"When you come home, you come home to the greatest democracy in the history of the world, the free-est nation on earth — ever," Thune said. "All the freedoms we enjoy in this country don't happen by accident. They happen because we are a country that, historically, has been willing to answer the call. You are no exception to that. The world expects the United States to lead, and here in South Dakota, we take that responsibility seriously."
LaMaack, who led the mission, discussed its importance, which he said brought artillery to Europe for the first time since 2006, specifically to Germany and Hungary, in a multinational effort.
He thanked the soldiers' families for holding everything together at home.
"It's so important to us. Thank you very much; we would be nothing without you," he said. "To my soldiers: You have done everything that I have asked of you and more. I thank you for your professionalism and your resilience these last months. I am very proud of all of you and everything you have accomplished. I am very humbled to be your commander."
LaMaack also had a few word for the Yankton community, for all its help and support of Bravo Battery.
"I couldn't be more proud to be from Bravo Battery and be connected to the Yankton community," he told the Press & Dakotan. "You have helped us so much throughout this, and your support has always blown me away."
LaMaack said he hopes an event of some kind will be held in Yankton this winter.