Red Arrow troops return from Afghanistan

MADISON — About 200 soldiers from the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s Red Arrow Brigade are back in the United States after a stint in Afghanistan.

The soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry returned to Fort Bliss in Texas on Sunday. They will demobilize at that base before returning to Wisconsin in coming weeks.

Nearly 400 soldiers from the battalion were deployed to Afghanistan late last year, marking the first time any Red Arrow soldiers had been sent to that country. Previous Red Arrow deployments since Sept. 11, 2001, have been to Iraq or Kuwait.

The soldiers protected advisers from the 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade, contractors and Afghan troops. The remaining 200 or so soldiers from the 127th remain in Afghanistan.