Vol. 40, No. 22
CONTACT: JIM MORRIS |
May 30 , 2006
National Guard Unit Says "Thank You" to Missouri Students and Schools
When the 45 members of the 35th Divisional Engineers brigade returned to Missouri last week after their 14-month deployment in Iraq, there were plenty of tears, hugs and laughter as the soldiers were reunited with their families. There also was an unusual twist to this homecoming celebration.
Several members of this National Guard unit are teachers or administrators in public and private schools across Missouri. All of the members of the unit wanted to acknowledge the outstanding support they received from students, colleagues and their schools while they were deployed.
The brigade presented its Distinguished Center of Influence Award to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Commissioner of Education D. Kent King and State Board of Education President Peter Herschend accepted the award on behalf of all public and private K-12 schools in Missouri.
"Because of the major role that National Guard members are playing in Iraq and Afghanistan, many schools across Missouri know what it is like to have an absent ‘family member.’ We were honored to accept this award on behalf of all the students, teachers and school employees in Missouri who have a personal connection to someone who is serving in the military," said Commissioner King.
The award is an 18-inch tall bronze statue of a minuteman, the traditional symbol of the citizen-soldiers who serve in the National Guard. It was presented by Major General King Sidwell, adjutant general of Missouri and head of the Missouri Army National Guard.
The formal welcome-home ceremony was held May 25 in Jefferson City at the Ike Skelton Training Site, headquarters of the Missouri Army National Guard. The engineer brigade is a part of the Army National Guard’s 35th Infantry Division.