Welcome home

By Staff
June 21, 2004
We want to take this opportunity to welcome home about 120 Mississippi Army National Guard soldiers who came back from wartime duties to a warm welcome of hometown celebrations in Newton over the weekend. The soldiers are attached to the 1st Battalion, 204th Air Defense Artillery unit in Newton, but they hail from all over East Mississippi, from not only Newton, but also cities such as Morton, Forest and Bay Springs.
In April 2003, soldiers in the unit left for mobilization as part of the homeland defense mission in the continental United States. While at Fort Bliss, Texas, the soldiers trained on the new Avenger Missile Defense System before deploying to the Washington area to replace an active-duty air defense battalion.
The mission of the Air Defense Artillery is to defend against low-altitude aircraft.
Their return again makes the point that America's defense structure in this modern era is heavily dependent on "civilian soldiers." We appreciate the service of members of this unit.