Guardsmen cavalry regiment, including some from Dixon, home from Africa

SPRINGFIELD – About 170 Illinois Army National Guard soldiers assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment, including some from the Dixon unit, returned home Saturday from an 11-month deployment to the Horn of Africa.

The majority of the soldiers were from C Troop, 2-106th Cavalry based in Aurora, with a handful of soldiers from the other units, the Guard said in a news release.

They were part of the Minnesota Army National Guard’s 34th Infantry Division-led Task Force Bayonet, assigned to the East Africa Response Force in support of Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa.

They conducted security operations, force protection and provided security force assistance in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the release said.

The unit also conducted training with U.S. allies in the region and was part of an international effort to help bring more stability to the Horn of Africa, the release said.