Governor Rell:  Successful ‘Operation Home for the Holidays’

Brings Two National Guard Units Home to Connecticut

250^th Engineer Company Arrives Tuesday @ 6:30 PM – Camp Rell

1^st Battalion, 102^nd Infantry Regiment Arrives Wednesday @ 10:00 AM – Hartford

Governor M. Jodi Rell today proudly announced that two units of the Connecticut Army National Guard, training in Wisconsin and Indiana, will be arriving in the State over the next two days to spend the holidays with their loved-ones as a result of the Governor’s successful ‘Operation Home for the Holidays’ initiative. The units are the 1^st Battalion, 102^nd Infantry Regiment and the 250^th Engineer Company.

Members of the 250^th Engineer Company are expected to arrive at Camp Rell, Niantic at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 22, and members of the 1^st Battalion, 102^nd Infantry are expected to arrive at the William A. O’Neill Armory in Hartford at approximately 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 23.  (Due to weather and traffic conditions, more exact arrival times can be obtained by contacting Major Charles Jaworski at 860-883-3268, 4 hours prior to the buses’ arrival.)

Governor Rell kicked off ‘Operation Home for the Holidays’ in October to raise funds to provide bus transportation for the two units to travel to and from mobilization stations in Indiana and Wisconsin to Connecticut during a 10-day break in their training. The two units, which have been training in Wisconsin and Indiana since November, are preparing for deployment overseas after the New Year.

The Governor announced last week that the fundraising effort not only reached its goal of $200,000 but far exceeded it. The remaining funds will be used to provide other kinds of support to these soldiers and others who are already deployed.

“Thanks to the overwhelming generosity and the sincere acts of kindness on the part of Connecticut citizens and businesses, hundreds of Connecticut National Guard soldiers will get the best present they could ever imagine: being at home this holiday season with their family and friends before they are deployed on their mission overseas,” said Governor Rell.  “On behalf of these troops and their loved-ones, thank you Connecticut!”

“When the troops arrive home Tuesday and Wednesday, there will be hundreds and hundreds of people from across the state – not just their families and friends – waiting with tears of joy in their eyes as they get off the buses. It is my honor and privilege to join their loved-ones in saying ‘glad your home for the holidays.’ The next two days will be a memorable and remarkable homecoming in the State of Connecticut and that is why now more than ever I am proud to be the Governor of this great state.”

Maj. Gen. Thaddeus J. Martin of the Connecticut National Guard added, “We are grateful to the Governor and to the many generous residents and organizations who contributed to this effort to bring Connecticut service members home to their families during this holiday season.”

The winter breaks run from December 23 through January 2 for the 1/102^nd which will be deploying to Afghanistan, and December 22-January 2 for the 250^th Engineers, which will be deploying to Iraq.

The 102^nd Infantry is headquartered in New Haven with units located in Norwalk, Manchester, New Britain, Branford and Southington.  The unit will deploy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.  The 250^th Engineer Company is located in New London,

and will deploy in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

The Connecticut National Guard currently has nearly 500 Soldiers and Airmen mobilized and deployed to Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan in support of the Global War on Terror. 

            Soon after New Year’s Day the units will return to their mobilization stations at Camp Atterbury, Indiana and Fort McCoy in Wisconsin before heading overseas.