The Adjutant General for the Virgin Islands Major General Renaldo Rivera has announced that he is expecting the return of the St. Croix-based soldiers of the 104th Troop Command Rapid Aerostat Initial Deployment (RAID) Team from Sept. 1-4.
A welcome home ceremony will be held at the Lionel A. Jackson Readiness Center classroom at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 5. VING officials and local government officials have been invited to attend and welcome home soldiers.
The unit is comprised of more than 30 soldiers from two island districts and includes soldiers with multiple deployment experience. The largest returning group on St. Croix will be arriving at Henry E. Rohlsen Airport.

VING’s 104th RAID unit was deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation New Dawn. The RAID team provided essential situational awareness for improved security and daily operations. They were fielded to Iraq and Afghanistan to safeguard forward operating bases (FOB), improve surveillance in day and night operations, and accelerate response to evolving threats.
The V. I. National Guard unit will return to the territory from Fort Bliss, Texas, where it will be out-processed after its year-long mission.
Proof of identification is required for access to the events at the airport. You will be screened by security personnel at the access point. For more information, contact 2nd Lt. Kirk Rojas at cell (340) 332-5541.