RAPID CITY, S.D.  – The South Dakota National Guard (SDNG) will honor the Rapid City-based 109th Engineer Battalion with a welcome home ceremony at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 11, at the Range Road Armory in Rapid City. The ceremony recognizes the unit’s return from a 13-month deployment to the U.S. southern border.

Gov. Larry Rhoden, commander in chief of the SDNG; Maj. Gen. Mark Morrell, the adjutant general; U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds; U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson; and Rapid City Mayor Jason Salamun are scheduled to provide remarks. The audience will include the 50 returning Soldiers, their families, and fellow Guard members.    

The 109th returned in early November from their deployment in support of Joint Task Force–Southern Border where they provided military capabilities to enhance detection and deter illegal crossings through multi-domain operations.