By: MAJ. Darren T. Herring Jr., Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Public Affairs Officer, 139th Regional Support Group

This fall, the Louisiana National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, known as the Tiger Brigade, commemorates the 20th anniversary of its redeployment from Iraq in September 2005, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

After 18 months of federal mobilization, including combat training and deployment to Iraq, nearly 4,000 Soldiers of the 256th were eager to return home for rest and reunion with loved ones. Instead, they returned to a state devastated by two of the most catastrophic hurricanes in U.S. history.

During the Iraq deployment, the Tiger Brigade endured its most intense combat mission, suffering more than 30 fatalities, in

See Full Page