Nearly 50 Wisconsin National Guard members return home after 10-month deployment

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Nearly 50 members of the Wisconsin National Guard returned home after a ten-month deployment to the Middle East.

Their return flight was delayed several hours, but that did not matter to the proud families who supported their citizen soldiers from here at home.

Two units were deployed: a medical company and a chemical company that were stationed in Kuwait as part of Operation Spartan Shield since last September.

National Guard soldiers deploy roughly once every five years or so. They work civilian jobs in between, while regularly drilling with the national guard.

We spoke with the father of Sergeant Angelina Pasdera, an EMT with the Lake Country fire department in her civilian life.

She joined the guard five years ago as a high school junior, rising through the ranks over the past five years.

Travis Pasdera says the family was able to video chat weekly, and that Sergeant Pasdera has done well on her deployment, though she’s excited to come home.

“She’s a strong girl, she gets a lot of that from her mom. She does an amazing job. She’s got a couple nurses that work under her, E-4s that work for her. And she’s made me pretty proud. She’s done a great job." 

The soldiers will have pre-scheduled time with no military obligations to allow them to reconnect with loved ones.

Mr. Pasdera says his family is eager to spend time together in the next few weeks, and they plan to head to a Brewers game.