FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Fort Campbell welcomed home 112 soldiers on Tuesday, Aug. 18, with the 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team.
The Task Force Bulldog Rakkasan soldiers returned from a three-month deployment to East Africa. The Welcome Home Ceremony was brief as the soldiers spread out across the Division Parade Field and their family and friends sat in the bleachers.
It was a bit hot at Fort Campbell Tuesday afternoon with a high in the upper 80s, but the soldiers came home from an area in Africa where it was reportedly reaching around 106 degrees.
Masks were being worn and were available if someone didn’t have one, along with hand sanitizer. Soldiers, family members and guests were also encouraged to practice social distancing.
Company Commander Capt. John Bergman talked about their mission, saying that it definitely ensured the Rakkasan soldiers maintained their readiness. “We were able to do that with lots of training events, deployment exercises, and just maintaining our sharp edge to support any U.S. assets,” Bergman said.
While deployed, the soldiers supported the East Africa Response Force.
Bergman added the soldiers created and leveraged great relationships with joint and international agencies, military units, embassies and civilians. “It was a great experience for us to broaden our horizons. We learned a lot and got a lot of good training.”
One of the returning soldiers, 1st Lt. Reid Sealby, said it was good to be home.
“It feels great; three months is shorter than most deployments, but nonetheless, it’s always a relief to get back home to family and friends and continue everyday life back here at Fort Campbell,” Sealby said.
Sealby added that the first thing he wanted to do was to go home and pet his dog, saying he’s got an 8-month-old puppy at home he wants to play with.