More than 130 soldiers of the California National Guard’s (CNG) 756th Transportation Company were welcomed home from Afghanistan by friends and family Aug. 8 on the flightline at Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos.
More than 130 soldiers of the California National Guard’s (CNG) 756th Transportation Company were welcomed home from Afghanistan by friends and family Aug. 8 on the flightline at Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos.
During their yearlong deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the nearly 170 Soldiers of the 756th provided critical logistical support moving supplies, personnel and equipment throughout Afghanistan. They conducted more than 420 convoys, escorted 952 Afghan trucks, and transported more than 4,000 pieces of cargo and 11,500 personnel throughout the Kabul region.
The 756th’s daily operations overseas exposed them to the constant threat of roadside bombs and attacks. Just three months into the unit’s deployment, on Oct. 26th, Sgt. Carlo F. Eugenio was killed when an explosives-laden suicide vehicle detonated near his truck while on a mission in Kabul. Eugenio was the first CNG Soldier killed as a direct result of enemy action in Afghanistan. More than 2,900 California National Soldiers have deployed in support of operations in Afghanistan since 9/11, and four CNG soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in support of operations there.