COMMUNITY WELCOMES HOME TROOPS

Parade Thursday Will Honor Returning Troops

Community members are encouraged to line the streets of Forest Grove Thursday, April 22, to welcome home 221 National Guard soldiers from duty in Iraq. Police and Patriot Guard motorcycle riders will escort the convoy of soldiers, starting about 11 a.m. at McMenamin's Grand Lodge and continuing through downtown on Pacific Avenue, then along B Street to the Forest Grove High School football stadium. The soldiers will be reunited there with family members following the demobilization ceremony from noon to 1 p.m. Because of the festivities, Forest Grove High School will dismiss at 11 a.m. Thursday.  

Thank You from Oregon Army National Guard

To the Community of Forest Grove:

Thursday, April 22, will finally bring a close to the Soldiers of the 2-218th Field Artillery's tour of duty in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  The communities of Forest Grove, and the greater Portland/Metro area, along with our State elected officials and the Oregon National Guard, will have the opportunity to welcome our Soldiers home from their honorable overseas service.  The scale of this operation and the extraordinary response from the community has grown far beyond our expectations.  The reception that the community is planning will be remembered as the culminating event of their service and sacrifice.  In three days, we have planned and will execute a Demobilization Ceremony on a scale that our community has not seen since the close of WWII.  This mission could not have been accomplished without the coordinated efforts and the direct support of the Forest Grove Community and local businesses.  Please allow me to say thank you for this grand undertaking and your amazing contributions. 

Sincerely, James A. Ellifritt, Jr., Officer Candidate, Oregon Army National Guard