DRAPER, Utah, Sept. 21, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Family members of several Utah Army National Guard members returned to hugs late Saturday morning.
The Guard’s 115 Engineer facilities detachment soldiers had been deployed in support of U.S. Central Command operations overseas, in Kuwait. Those who did not return Saturday morning were scheduled for later flights or airports closer to their homes.
The soldiers first returned to Fort Bliss, Texas, on Tuesday, Sept. 17, after the successful completion of their mission, during which they worked to improve base security, life support, and other facility design and management projects.
“I am very proud of the work that the team accomplished over nine months at Camp Buehring in Kuwait,” said Lt. Col. Caleb Sharp, officer in charge.
“As the directorate of public works, the team oversaw the approval of more than 15 projects valued at over $20 million that helped improve the quality of life, working conditions and training of soldiers assigned there.
“The team’s hard work and dedication to their mission was evident during this entire deployment. We are extremely grateful for the support and sacrifices of our families that helped to get us through the deployment, and are very excited to be reunited with our family and loved ones.”
Master Sgt. Phillip Basset, senior enlisted leader for the detachment, said the project was about more than maintaining infrastructure.
“It’s about ensuring mission readiness through resilience,” he said in shared comments. “Every repair, every construction project is directly tied to the wellbeing and operational success for the units stationed at Camp Buehring. In the chaos of deployment, our team of 14 soldiers provided the backbone that kept the base functional, safe and secure.”
