Members of the Alaska Army National Guard returned home on Christmas Eve , Dec. 24, 2021, after a nine-month deployment to the U.S. Central Command Area of Operations in support of Operation Spartan Shield. Sixty-four Alaska Army Guardsmen from elements of the 1st Battalion, 168th General Support Aviation, departed in March 2021, along with four of the unit’s UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. While deployed, they directly supported casualty evacuation, troop movement, and resupply for U.S. and allied forces in various locations in the Middle East. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Dana Rosso)