Connecticut National Guard soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment were honored Saturday, October 17, at the State Armory in Hartford after an overseas deployment, according to WFSB’s report from the ceremony.
The station reports that Gov. Ned Lamont and the lieutenant governor hosted the welcome following nine months supporting Operation Spartan Shield in the Middle East. Maj. Ross Alexander told WFSB that more than 500 Connecticut soldiers took part. The report describes a mission spread across seven countries and 22 locations, including work addressing drone and ballistic-missile threats.
WFSB also reported recognition that included 46 Bronze Stars and six Purple Hearts. Those deployment and award totals are attributed to the station; a separate official award roster was not obtained for this report.
Saturday’s formal welcome should not be confused with the soldiers’ first arrival home. An August 19 Connecticut National Guard Public Affairs report says the battalion had already returned and was taking part in post-deployment readiness processing at Camp Nett in Niantic during August 18–21.
That official report describes a pilot partnership bringing Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs mobile medical services into the readiness process. Returning service members could discuss health concerns, receive assessments and arrange follow-up appointments, rather than only enroll for benefits. The 1-102nd was the first unit to use the pilot, the Guard said.
The Niantic program provides a local connection to the longer transition from overseas service. The Guard described plans to develop it into an ongoing practice; that August statement does not establish that every returning soldier received care or that the pilot is now permanent.