Over 30 members of the Iowa National Guard are set to be deployed to the European nation of Kosovo this week.
According to KCCI, the Iowa National Guard is sending 33 soldiers to Kosovo as part of a NATO peacekeeping mission.
The guardsmen will be deployed on December 29th for a nine-month tour.
Newsweek reported the 33 guardsmen will “conduct live aerial medevac operations, refueling and maintenance support for the United States, Kosovo Security Forces.”
33 Iowa National Guard soldiers being deployed to Kosovo | Click on the image to read the full story https://t.co/eXS1qw0OeJ
— KCCI News (@KCCINews) December 28, 2023
Per KCCI:
More than 30 Iowa National Guard soldiers are preparing for deployment this week.
Officials say they’re heading to Kosovo — Iowa’s sister state — for nine months. While overseas, the troops will help support a NATO peacekeeping operation.
A community send-off ceremony will be held Friday morning at the Waterloo Airport Army Aviation Support Facility.
Iowa National Guard members have been stationed in Kosovo since 2003. Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu, the president of Kosovo, visited Iowa in October to thank Iowa for decades of cooperation and to reaffirm the relationship with the state.
In October, the president of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu, was welcomed to Iowa’s statehouse by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.
LOOK:
The Kosovo anthem and the famous song “Lule Bore” echoed in the Iowa State Capitol as Kosovo’s President @VjosaOsmaniPRKS was welcomed by the Governor
of Iowa, Reynolds. pic.twitter.com/S0HXYdI9nM
— Admirim (@admirim) October 25, 2023
Gov. Kim Reynolds welcomed Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu, the president of Kosovo, to the Iowa statehouse on Tuesday.
Since 2011, Kosovo and Iowa have shared a close partnership after former Gov. Terry Branstad signed a sister-state partnership with the country.
In the last two decades, over 700 Iowa National Guard members have been stationed in Kosovo.
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