FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The 3rd Brigade Combat Team “Rakkasans” will host a series of welcome home ceremonies for soldiers returning from a 9-month deployment in Afghanistan.
Approximately 500 soldiers of Task Force Rakkasan will be welcomed home during the two ceremonies after supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.
The Rakkasans’ main focus was to provide support to North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Resolute Support train, advise and assist mission as part of Train, Advise and Assist Command – South headquartered in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan with forces also supporting operations out in the continuous Helmand Province in southwestern Afghanistan.
Rakkasans also supported efforts with counterterrorism operations against al Qaeda, its affiliates, and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan in Afghanistan.
The Rakkasans’ focus for the train, advise and assist mission was to build the capacity of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense (Army) and Ministry of Interior (Police) and to strengthen Afghanistan’s National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF). The Rakkasan soldiers were instrumental in building ANDSF capacity in several critical areas which include: infantry tactics, combined operations planning and execution between Afghan army and police units, logistics, personnel accountability and finance.
The welcome home ceremonies are scheduled for July 8 and 10. Flight times are subject to change without notice.
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