Minnesota Guardsmen to return from Africa deployment
First reported by Minnesota National Guard Public Affairs. Summarized here; the full story ran in the printed issue.
More than 700 Minnesota Guard Soldiers from the Mankato-based 2nd Battalion, 135th Infantry were heading home from an 11-month Horn of Africa deployment. Forming most of Task Force Bayonet, they left for training at Fort Bliss, Texas, in June 2020 and reached Africa in July. They provided security in Djibouti, Somalia and Kenya, handled base operations supporting more than 600 personnel, and helped reposition U.S. forces out of Somalia. Commander Lt. Col. Chip Rankin credited them with completing the mission despite the pandemic.
