New York Guard Soldiers welcomed home after combat deployment

TROY, N.Y. - Five hundred New York Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 42nd Infantry Division who deployed to the Middle East in June 2025 and later conducted combat operations against Iran were officially welcomed home Sept. 11-13.

During a Sept. 11 ceremony at the division's headquarters in Troy, Maj. Gen. Jack James, the division commander, thanked the Soldiers for their service.

On Sept. 13, Yellow Ribbon events were held to salute Soldiers and families in Syracuse, at New York National Guard headquarters in Latham and on Long Island.

"I want to take the opportunity to thank each and every one of you personally, and the group together as a unit, because this will probably be the last time for sure that this exact group will be together," James told the Soldiers at the Troy ceremony.

Members of the 42nd Infantry Division headquarters deployed to Kuwait to serve as the headquarters for Task Force Spartan, the Army's 10,000-Soldier force in the region.

The original mission focused on exercises with regional allies, including Operation Bright Star in Egypt in September 2025. The Soldiers also conducted operations designed to build the military capacity of regional allies and deter aggression.

Following the deaths of two Iowa National Guardsmen and an interpreter in Syria at the hands of an Islamic State fighter Dec. 13, 2025, the division headquarters facilitated Operation Hawkeye Strike in retaliation.

At the same time, elements of the 42nd deployed to Pakistan to provide emergency relief after historic flooding devastated the country. "Rainbow" Soldiers provided supplies, including generators, water pumps, tents and cots.

When President Donald Trump made the decision to attack Iran and launched Operation Epic Fury Feb. 28, the division headquarters began conducting combat operations. Some Soldiers began redeploying to Germany and then the United States while the command group continued coordinating operations.

On June 6, James and 42nd Infantry Division Command Sgt. Maj. Arnold Reyes furled the division's flag in theater, turning Army operations over to the Texas Army National Guard's 36th Infantry Division.

The turnover between the 42nd and 36th division headquarters was delayed so the 42nd could remain focused on combat operations longer, according to Lt. Gen. Kevin Leahy, commanding general of U.S. Army Central and Third Army.

"This was one of the longest relief-in-place operations in history. It allowed two legendary divisions to work together, with the 36th stepping in to manage key tasks so the 42nd could maintain an uninterrupted focus on combat operations - some of the most complex combat operations in U.S. Army history," Leahy said during the June 6 ceremony in Kuwait.

During the Sept. 11 ceremony, James and Reyes unfurled the division's flag, signifying the official end of the mission after two years of preparation, deployment, execution and redeployment.

Holding the ceremony on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks was especially significant, James said, because 42nd Infantry Division Soldiers were the first Army National Guard troops to respond when the Twin Towers fell in Manhattan.

After hostilities with Iran began, the 42nd Infantry Division became the primary Army headquarters leading long-range fires in support of the campaign, James told the Soldiers.

"How did we get this mission, guys, was that part of the original plan; I'll tell you if it's not. It was because of trust," James said.

"Our leaders, our NCOs, our Soldiers establishing credentials with ARCENT leaders… by consistently meeting the mission, by exceeding standards, and relentlessly building readiness," James added.

The 42nd Infantry Division Soldiers facilitated the destruction of countless targets in support of what James called the "largest and first long-range precision fires campaign in the history of the United States Army."

James also saluted Maj. Sorffly Davius, the division deputy communications officer, who died following a medical emergency March 6 while conducting operations.

"He was just an amazing human being and a great officer, a great Soldier, and a great leader," James said.

The Yellow Ribbon events were designed to help Soldiers and their families reintegrate into civilian life and inform them about available benefits.

A total of 574 people participated in events at New York National Guard headquarters in Latham, the Syracuse University Veterans Center and the flight facility in Ronkonkoma, according to Robert Volk, the state family program manager.

Soldiers and their families received information about health care access, financial counseling, legal assistance and educational benefits.

In Syracuse, Maj. Gen. Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York, urged the 85 Soldiers and family members attending to use the benefits they had earned. He praised the Soldiers for their performance while deployed and noted that the governor had regularly asked him how they were doing in the Middle East.

Brig. Gen. Peter Fiorentino, the division deputy commander for maneuver, emphasized similar themes while speaking to 206 people gathered at the Long Island flight facility.

Col. Gurpreet Singh, who served as the division tactical operations center officer in charge, spoke to 280 people at the Latham gathering. He emphasized retaining information about the benefits available to Soldiers and the importance of caring for their loved ones.

Reyes, the division's command sergeant major, thanked the families for their support during the deployment.

"This deployment was far from easy. There were long days, difficult missions, and moments that tested our Soldiers in ways that would break most people," Reyes said. "I know none of this would have been possible without you, our families, and loved ones.

"You were the one keeping everything running back home. You were the ones managing the household. We know you sacrificed just as much as they did, and I truly wish I could shake every one of your hands and thank you personally," he added.