06 Broadcaster Press October 9, 2012 www.broadcasteronline.com 842nd honored at welcome home ceremony Soldiers of the South Dakota Army National Guard’s 842nd Engineer Company arrived back in the Black Hills today after completing a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. A welcome home ceremony was held in their honor at the Donald E. Young Center at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, where more than 1,500 family members, friends and community supporters gathered to greet them, including Gov. Dennis Daugaard, Sen. John Thune, Rep. Kristi Noem, Spearfish Mayor Jerry Krambeck, Sturgis Mayor Mark Carstensen, Belle Fourche Mayor Gary Hendrickson and Maj. Gen. Tim Reisch, the adjutant general of the SDNG. “Today is a day to enjoy life, to be glad to be back together with your family and friends and to enjoy each other’s company,” said Daugaard. “We are so proud of you. Welcome home to all of you and we are glad you are back safe and sound.” “Thank you 842nd for what you have done for our state and for what you continue to do for our communities and our country. We are all blessed by your service,” said Thune. The 160 members of the Spearfish, Belle Fourche and Sturgisbased unit deployed in September 2011 with a mission to provide horizontal construction and engineering support. Equipped with bulldozers, scrapers, cranes, loaders and 20 ton dump trucks, the unit built and maintained roads, constructed base force protection measures and provided limited clearing operations. While on deployment, the 842nd partnered with Afghan Army soldiers to train them on engineering techniques, worked alongside coalition partner nations such as Norway, Poland and Germany for various operations, conducted missions at 58 different locations throughout Afghanistan and completed 123 operations. The total value of all their engineering efforts totaled $21 million. The unit also completed 275 miles of road construction and improvements, traveled 16,000 convoy miles, completed more than 373,000 cubic yards of cut and fill, maintained 445 pieces of equipment, and was awarded 247 medals for their accomplishments. “We had a highly successful deployment,” said Capt. Allen Godsell, 842nd commander. “The soldiers remained focused, they remained diligent and they got the job done time after time. It speaks volumes to the quality of Soldiers before you and to the dedication they have to doing the job right.” “It’s quite remarkable the accomplishments of the unit over that year’s time,” said Thune. “The efficiency, the professionalism, the skill, the courage with which you have done your jobs is a great tribute to not only you and your families but also to our state and country, and I cannot tell you how grateful we all are for your service.” Acreage Near Mission Hill, SD at Thursday Evening, October 25th, 5:30 p.m. Located: 44543 304th Street, Volin, SD From Mission Hill: 4-miles north, 3/4 mile west on 304th Street OPEN HOUSES: Sunday, Oct 14th from 5 to 6 p.m. and Wednesday, Oct 17th from 5 to 6 p.m. Floor plan of this remodeled home consists of kitchen with new cabinets and pantry; a bath and utility room that was remodeled in 2007; a large living room, and 2nd story with 2-bedrooms. This home has a great start on remodeling with 11 new windows, 2 new entry doors, new electric panel & circuits and in 2005, and a new electric furnace and central air in ’05. The sale of this home also includes the stove, refrigerator, washer & dryer. In 2011 a 24x30 2-car garage was built with concrete floor, steel roof, and was insulated. Also on this property is a 8x12 garden shed and a steel bin for storage. Acreage is hooked to rural water. All this sits on 3-acres with taxes being $729.32. This acreage is located about 12 miles from Yankton. If you are in the market for a quiet place to live with lots of room, be sure to check this auction out. Legal: E 260’ of the W 1504’ of the N 602.62’ in the N1/2, NW1/4, Sec 12-94-55, Yankton County, SD. Terms: 10% non-refundable down payment due the day of auction with the balance due on closing of November 25th, 2012. Yankton County Title Company, closing agent. Title insurance and closing costs split 50/50 between buyer and seller. Possession on closing. Taxes prorated to the day of closing. Auctioneer’s are acting as agents for the seller. Marvin & Darlene Sopko, Owners Girard Auction & Land Brokers, Inc. (605) 267-2421 • Toll Free: 1-866-531-6186 www.GirardAuction.com Marv Girard, BA #12399 Ken Girard, CAI, AARE Broker #10183 Mike Girard, CAI, BA #13549