Guard unit with Prineville platoon back from Kuwait

The Oregon Army National Guard plans a Saturday demobilization ceremony to welcome home about 180 soldiers of the 234th Engineer Company, 1249th Engineer Battalion, including a Prineville-based platoon.

The ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. the West Salem High School gymnasium, located at 1776 Titan Drive NW, in Salem. The event is open to the public..

Oregon Governor Kate Brown; U.S. Senator Ron Wyden; U.S. Representative Kurt Schrader; Maj. Gen. Daniel Hokanson, Adjutant General, Oregon; along with other dignitaries, to include Miss Oregon, are scheduled to attend.

The 234th Engineer Company is headquartered at Camp Rilea, in Warrenton, Ore., and includes a platoon-sized detachment located in Prineville.

“We are so proud of their teamwork, all of their accomplishments, but even more excited to have them home,” said Stephen Bomar, director of public affairs for the Oregon Military Department.

The 234th Engineer Company mobilized on June 8 , 2014, to Fort Bliss, Texas, where they conducted training in preparation for their deployment to Kuwait.

The soldiers spent about nine months conducting carpentry, plumbing, electrical and other construction missions at U.S. military facilities throughout Kuwait and the surrounding region during the deployment.

At Camp Buehring, the Soldiers installed sidewalks, repaired training facilities, and made improvements to morale, welfare and recreation facilities.

At Camp Arifjan, the Soldiers constructed housing units and made improvements to security checkpoints, drainage systems, and existing infrastructure to improve security, safety and operations around camp and the Kuwaiti Naval Base. The maintenance section also repaired a myriad of vehicles and support equipment needed for missions.

With the onset of Operation Inherent Resolve, 234th was called upon to conduct engineering assessments and construction missions in order to expand and improve forward operating bases in Iraq and Jordan.

Near the end of their deployment, as missions in Iraq, Jordan, and Afghanistan came to an end, the entire company supported the growing housing need in Kuwait by constructing relocatable buildings and containerized housing units.