It was my distinct honor to welcome home the men and women from the 1498th Transportation Company as they came off the airplane at Long Beach Airport. Mayor Bob Foster and Vice Mayor Val Lerch were also there. We shook the hands of each and every man and woman who came off the plane in uniform and with backpacks -- some of which had stuffed animals peeking out which provided an interesting contrast of warriors returning with soft personal items that probably brought a touch of home while they were in Iraq for a year.
The 1498th Transportation Company was activated on November 2002 at Riverside as part of the Army National Guard Division Redesign Study strategy.
They were sent to Iraq in 2008 and then sent again last year.
The unit is commanded by Major Caroline Morales (who holds a juris doctorate) and looked incredibly young for such a serious position.
The greeting and ceremony brought tears to my eyes. Thank god not one person in the company was injured or killed. The look on the faces of their families was priceless to be able to witness.
We owe them our gratitude for a job well done.
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