Fort Campbell, KY – On Monday evening, Deputy Commander Brigadier General Stephen Townsend returned to Campbell Army Airfield along with soldiers from the 101st Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion and 541st Transportation Company.
In all there were 98 soldiers on the arriving flight.
The arrival of Brigadier General Stephen Townsend sets the stage for the return of Major General John F. Campbell and Command Sergeant Major Scott C. Schroeder on Friday, May 20th at 8:00am in the morning.
Excitement was in the air as friends and family spotted the airplane in the sky making its final approach on Campbell Army Airfield. The plane quickly slowed to make the turn in front of the crowd instead of the normal long taxi down the runway and back.
Helecopters made several passes in the air over Campbell Army Airfield as soldiers made their way off the plane an to hanger 3. Soldiers dropped their weapons and gear and collected a yellow rose for their loved ones inside.
Lisa Mayo and her daughter were so happy when CPT John Mayo made his way past the crowd as he moved towards hanger 3. For the past 18 months, John has only been home for about 45 days. He was away for school for six months prior to the recent deployment. The good part is he was able to visit with his family on short visits. During the past year he has been deployed to Afghanistan with only a two week break to come home. Lisa says they are looking forward to a well deserved vacation.
Once inside the hanger Brigadier General Jeffrey N. Colt welcomed everyone home in a short speech to the soldiers before everyone was allowed 15 minutes of family time before heading back to their unit to turn in their gear. As soldiers were released, it was a race for family members to find their soldier.
There were lots of hug, tears and rejoyce as family members found and made contact with their soldier. The 15 minute time frame seemed to go by quickly as family members were asked to return to the bleacher area and the soldiers to return to the formation. Once soldiers marched out of the hanger, family members received a Chaplins briefing while waiting on time to go pick up their soldiers at their unit.
If you wish to attend a Welcome Home Ceremony, check the flight schedules online, as times are subject to change at any time. When arriving to Fort Campbell, enter via Gate 7; if you don’t have installation stickers on your vehicle, you will be required to get a visitor pass. From there just follow the signs to the ceremony parking. Waiting buses transport the Family members safely to the hanger.