Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Vogt hugs his 6-year-old son Gavin during the unit's deployment return from Kuwait at Atlantic Aviation in Reno Thursday.
With the 485th Military Police Company’s return from Kuwait Thursday, nearly every soldier in the Nevada Army Guard is home to enjoy the Silver State’s summer.
The current homebound status of the Nevada Army is a sharp contrast to autumn 2015, when more than 460 Nevada Soldiers were deployed abroad.
The 485th Military Police Company, headquartered in Reno, was the last of four Army Guard units tasked to compete international missions since 2015. The 485th performed customs operations from October 2016 until this June in Kuwait and other Middle East countries. The unit assisted in the redeployment of U.S. military personnel and equipment from the Central Command Area of Responsibility to the customs territory of the United States in accordance with Customs Border Protection, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and the Department of Defense agencies.
The 485th completed more than 3,500 customs missions entailing about $26 billion of equipment and valuables during its nine-month tour. The unit’s missions supported all branches of the U.S. military and its allies in far-flung locations including Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
The soldiers also supported Military Working Dog teams throughout CENTCOM by coordinating the teams’ movements within the theater of operations.
They also assisted in missions in Oman and on behalf of Saudi Arabia.
During their nine months abroad, 485th Soldiers won their brigade’s Best Warrior Competition, four Soldiers of the Week awards and four Non-commissioned Officer of the Month awards.
Nevada National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Erick Studenicka