LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The National Guard and family members welcomed back the 1163rd Medical Company Area Support after being away for almost a year.
The group of doctors, nurses, and emergency technicians went to Poland to support our troops in Europe.
The trip was planned before the pandemic started, but became even more important as the coronavirus cases started to spread.
One month before they were deployed, the group actually helped with an alternate care facility right here in Kentucky as the pandemic picked up.
The medical company spent 10 months abroad before finally returning home.
"This is always the best part of being in the guard or being in the army is when you get to welcome soldiers back home. And also to thank their families. You know their families make so many sacrifices to enable them to do what they do. We never lose sight of that. And being part of the reserve component of the national guard, you know they have full-time jobs, some of them are full-time students. So we ask a lot from their employers. We ask a lot from their universities that they're going to school at. Everybody has to make sacrifices for the guard to be able to support missions like this," said Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Starke.
