We have some updated info on the homecoming events today (Thursday November, 10th) across Montana. Here's what you need to know for Bozeman, Missoula, Billings, and other locations across Montana.

Here's the full info shared by the Montana Army National Guard's 163rd Combined Arms Battalion: (sharing in full here so everyone has easy access to the info to help welcome these great men and women home)

After over a year away from home, the 1-163rd Combined Arms Battalion is coming home! Families and friends who want to greet your Soldiers as they arrive back in Montana tomorrow, they are coming in three different ways.
The Charter flight will arrive at Minuteman Aviation around 9:05 am on Thursday, November 10. Parking is limited at this location, so please only use this parking lot if you have mobility problems. We recommend parking in the main terminal parking lot and walking the 300 yards to Minuteman Inc. !
Additional parking information! The Missoula airport parking has agreed to give 2 hours of free parking to people meeting our Soldiers at Minuteman Aviation. (Since this is adjacent to the Missoula Airport) When exiting the parking lot, please inform them you are with the National Guard group that arrived at Minuteman Aviation. Show them this Facebook post on your phone or military or dependent ID. And please thank them for supporting National Guard families!
Minuteman Aviation Inc.
6337 Aviation Way West, Missoula
The Charter flight will arrive at Yellowstone Jet Center at the Bozeman Airport at 10:45 am Thursday, November 10. To get to the Jet Center, DO NOT enter through the main Airport entry road. Turn off Frontage Road onto Airport Road - as if you are driving to the Belgrade Armory. Just before reaching the Armory, turn left onto Aviation Lane. !
Yellowstone Jet Center
305 Aviation Lane, Belgrade
NOTE: There will be Soldiers in uniform helping to guide the way at both locations.
There will be over 80 Soldiers flying on individual commercial tickets to airports all over Montana, arriving throughout the day on November 10. We have instructed all Soldiers to share their flight information with their families. If any family is unable to meet a Soldier at the airport, we have Montana National Guard personnel meeting every Soldier to ensure they have a ride.
Happy Veterans Day!


ORIGINAL POST

The men and women of the Montana Army National Guard's 163rd Combined Arms Battalion and 631st Chemical Company are finally coming home. Big homecoming ceremonies are planned for Thursday in Bozeman and Missoula, along with smaller contingents at airports across the state.

The 163rd is a storied Montana National Guard unit. Most of the soldiers spent the past year or so deployed to Kuwait and the Middle East, but we also know based on public information shared by US Central Command (CENTCOM) that soldiers of the 163rd were hailed for their actions following combat in Syria.

According to Montana National Guard spokesman Major Ryan Finnegan, two homecoming ceremonies are currently tentatively scheduled on Thursday:

  • Around 90 Soldiers will be arriving on a charter flight at 9:45 a.m. at the Missoula Airport.
  • Around 110 Soldiers will be arriving on a charter flight at 10:45 a.m. at the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport.

Major Finnegan adds that the public is encouraged to attend and welcome the soldiers home. The remaining deployed soldiers will be returning throughout the week on commercial flights to the airport closest to their home. After a year away from their families, more than 300 Soldiers of the Montana National Guard’s 163rd Combined Arms Battalion and 631st Chemical Company will return to Montana this week.

We shared photos and stories of both units back in April and June of this year. Here's what CENTCOM had to say about the infantryman and the Bradley Fighting Vehicles of the 163rd following their actions in Syria:

"The Bradleys quickly proved their worth last month in close support to the Syrian Democratic Forces who quelled Daesh’s attempted breakout of Ghuwayran Prison in Hasakah City,” said Lt Col Dan Leard, commander, Task Force Rock. “The unit has since turned south to support the SDF along the Middle Euphrates River Valley. There’s nothing in this theater that could stand against this company of Bradleys. They provide a supreme sense of confidence to our partners as they continue the fight against Daesh.”

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