SALEM, Ore. — More than 200 Oregon Army National Guard soldiers were formally welcomed home Sunday after returning from a nearly year-long deployment to the Horn of Africa, where they supported security operations, military infrastructure projects and counterterrorism missions.
The soldiers, assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry Regiment, and Alpha Company, 741st Brigade Engineer Battalion, were honored during a ceremony at the Salem Convention Center attended by family members, military leaders and community supporters.
The troops mobilized in May 2025 and returned to Oregon on April 3, 2026. They served as part of Task Force Bataan, a force of more than 1,100 National Guard soldiers from Oregon, New Mexico, Washington and Louisiana operating under U.S. Special Operations Command and U.S. Africa Command…