FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. – (CLARKSVILLENOW) There were a lot of smiles, hugs, kisses and handshakes Tuesday evening as 60 soldiers with the 1st Brigade Combat Team (BCT) were welcomed back to Fort Campbell after their six-month deployment to Cameroon in Africa. The soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
The “Red Currahee” soldiers made up the majority of Task Force Toccoa who deployed to northern Cameroon earlier this year. The group was the third iteration of 101st soldiers to be a part of this mission which began a year ago and marked the first elements of the 101st to ever deploy to the region.
The troops conducted Base Operations Security, Infrastructure missions in order to provide protection and enhance the U.S. government’s strategic relationships while accessing and influencing the area.
Captain Anthony Maldonado was welcomed home by his wife and three children and talked about being home. “It feels great, our guys have been doing a great job and it’s real exciting to have everybody home now,” said Maldonado. His wife Maggie echoed his sentiments when asked how it felt to have her husband home. “It’s amazing, I’m super excited.”
