Oregon National Guard unit featured on KVAL.com home after year in Iraq

SALEM, Ore. -- Welcome home, Charlie Company.

The Oregon Army National Guard is scheduled to hold a demobilization ceremony for C/7-158 Aviation at 3:00 p.m. Monday at the Salem Army Aviation Support Facility Hangar #1, located at 1921 Turner Rd., Salem, Ore.

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KVAL.com readers followed their deployment--  from training in Oklahoma through their service in Iraq at Joint Base Balad to their return to the United States -- through the stories of freelance reporter Cali Bagby, who embedded with the unit for KVAL.com.

Approximately 120 soldiers with the unit returned to Fort Lewis, Wash., last week to complete the demobilization process.

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski and Major General Raymond F. Rees, The Adjutant General, Oregon, are scheduled to be in attendance

During deployment, C/7-158 Aviation flew 375 life saving missions, moving over 800 patients and flying 125 blood transport missions to hospitals in need. 

Additionally, 240 training, administrative and maintenance test flights were flown. They dispensed over 300,000 gallons of fuel and flew over 3,000 flight hours. 

While in Iraq, the unit assisted several units in Tallil and Joint Base Balad. 

The flight medics conducted MEDEVAC 101, which provided training for approximately 370 Soldiers and Marines in Al Asad, 150 Soldiers at Forward Operating Base Normandy, and 400 at Joint Base Balad.  This training led to three joint training exercises, two of which were in Balad, and one in Al Asad with the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team. 

Additionally, 10 Iraqi Army flight medics were trained in MEDEVAC familiarization.