FW: National Guard Soldiers Return from Yearlong Deployment in Iraq-Saturday, July 18 (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Sebby, Daniel M 1SG RET]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 17, 2009
Laura Herzog
714-904-0253

Release # 07-01

National Guard Soldiers Return from Yearlong Deployment in Iraq

LONG BEACH, Calif. - More than 270 soldiers of the 1498th Transportation
Company in Riverside, Calif., will celebrate their return from a 12-month
tour in Kuwait and Iraq at a homecoming ceremony Saturday, July 18, here in
Long Beach. Soldiers will be arriving by plane at 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. to
the airport. Ceremony will follow at 10:00 a.m.

During their deployment, the Soldiers conducted logistical missions
transporting materials throughout Iraq. Utilizing the Heavy Equipment
Transporter (HET), the largest truck in the Army inventory, members of the
1498th transported various equipment and supplies, including essential
provisions, equipment and inoperable materials and tanks hit by improvised
explosive devices (IEDs). These large HET trucks are capable of transporting
items as large as the M1 Battle Tank to forward operating locations in need
of equipment.

The 1498th Transportation Company provided HET support throughout the Iraq
and Kuwait Theater of Operations completing 123 combat logistics patrols, 24
transportation missions within Kuwait and 35 lead HET missions, hauling more
than 180,000 tons and traveling more than 1.9 million miles.

The 1498th Transportation Company was activated in November 2002 in
Riverside, Calif. The mission of the 1498th Transportation Company is to
mobilize and deploy to provide self-secured heavy equipment transportation
support of the battlefield. Citizen-Soldiers from the 1498th Transportation
Company live in cities throughout California including Sacramento, South Los
Angeles, Long Beach and Riverside area.

During the homecoming an award ceremony will take place to decorate many of
the unit members with a variety of awards including the Bronze Star,
Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal and Army Achievement
Medal.

Members of the media and community are invited to attend the arrival of
these dedicated servicemembers who will be greeted by their families at the
Air Flight Hangar in Long Beach located at 3280 Airflite Way, Long Beach,
CA, 90807.

For more information or to attend the ceremony, please call Laura Herzog at
714-904-0253.

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Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE