Welcome home, Marine Corps company, Austin, TX, 01 Oct 2011

Austin Patriot Guard Riders Forums Completed Missions Welcome home, Marine Corps company, Austin, TX, 01 Oct 2011

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  • #581
    markwells
    Keymaster
    #3437
    markwells
    Keymaster

    Approximately 140 marines from Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines will be returning to Austin this weekend. The PGR has been invited to help welcome them home.

    The marines conducted training in Camp Pendleton, California from November 2010 – February 2011, then deployed to Afghanistan from February 2011 until last week. The unit is currently back at Camp Pendleton conducting demobilization and will return to Austin on 01 Oct 2011.

    The unit will be landing at 1130 hrs at the Texas Air National Guard Support facility at ABIA. Once personnel and gear is secured a LEO escorted procession, including PGR riders with flags flying, will depart for Camp Mabry, where the families will be waiting. The Camp Mabry reception area will be set up with a bounce house, cotton candy machine, snow cone machine, and pizza being delivered.

    Date: Saturday, 01 October 2011.

    Location: Air National Guard facility at Austin Bergstrom Intl Airport. The facility is located at the south end of ABIA.

    Directions: Traveling southbound on Hwy 183 past the Hwy 71 intersection, turn left (east) at the Burleson Rd stop light. Proceed 1.2 miles and turn left (north) on Emma Browning Avenue. Turn left again at your first opportunity and proceed past the guard shack, then turn right to the staging area parking lot. Map link: tinyurl.com/TxANGAustin

    Timeline:
    10:45 – 11:10 am staging
    11:10 am briefing
    KSU for Camp Mabry when busses are ready to depart, approx. 30 min ride.

    Wx: Sunny, low 62, high 90 deg. Don’t forget your drinking water. There will be no flag truck with water.

    Notes: Please arrive fed, fueled and hydrated. PPE is required to enter Camp Mabry, consisting of helmet, eye protection, long sleeves, and boots which cover the ankles. Reflective vest is not required. As invited guests of the military it is important we respect this requirement. Also, we do not know if we’ll be allowed airside at the airport. There will likely be a considerable downtime between the flight arrival and the departure for Camp Mabry while gear is transferred.

    Ride Captain: Chuck Murphy, W9CTM@Hotmail.com, 512-417-2744.

    Please make time to welcome home and thank these warriors and their families for their bravery and sacrifice serving our nation.

    #3444
    markwells
    Keymaster

    OK then…

    24 bikes and two cages on the welcome home mission for these fine American boys. What fun, too. A little shuffling of the staging area at the early going, but no harm, no foul. APD was on top of it's game yet again, with roads shutdown all the way to Mabry. And a beautiful day to lead three bus loads of our heroes across town on their final leg home after 7months in the 'Stan'.

    There were some sweaty eyes amongst our ranks when the Marines were dismissed and reunited with their loved ones. Our Vietnam Vets in particular know better than any of us how important this event was.

    A number of media reports were filed, but here's a real nice compilation put together by Bill Bastas. Enjoy.

    youtu.be/d20z6327gwM

    #3521
    markwells
    Keymaster

    Please see the email below which I received today. If anyone knows of photos which we can share with this marine and his girlfriend, please post a link or email me. Thanks.

    “Hello Mark,
    My name is Cassie and I got your email from Bill Bastas. My boyfriend, Nick, is a Marine and was with 1/23 who you escorted on Oct 1st for their homecoming. Nick is currently back in Afghanistan and just found the youtube video Bill posted of their homecoming. I wrote Bill asking if he would mind sending me the photo he had on there of us and he was nice enough to do so. He told me to ask you if you may have gotten any photos or know any other photographers that were there taking pictures because this photo from Bill is the only one we have from that day. We would really appreciate it if you could ask around. I can send you the photo Bill sent me so you know who we are if you think you might know of any photos 🙂

    Thanks!
    Cassie and Nick”

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