Ag Guard unit comes home

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana National Guard Unit that has spent the past year in Afghanistan helping farmers build a modern ag economy arrived home Wednesday evening.
The 3-19 Agribusiness Development Team, which included former Jay County High School principal Major Jeremy Gulley, was welcomed by family and friends at Stout Field.
National Honor Society students at Jay County High School sent care packages to the unit during its stay in Afghanistan, and JCHS agriculture teacher Melissa Muhlenkamp also developed lesson plans that she sent to the unit to use in its work in the country.
The trip was the third of seven planned missions to Afghanistan by the guard’s Agriculture Business Development Team.
The 60-member unit was stationed in a relatively dangerous area, but suffered no combat-related fatalities. One member of the unit was killed in a non-combat incident.
Gulley, who was serving while on leave from his role as principal at Huntington North High School, told The CR for a story in January that he was pleased at the reception he and other had received from the Afghan government.
“We’re seeing government officials … cooperate to a degree that they have not done yet. And not only is agriculture important just because of its fundamental connection to the economy … it’s getting the Afghan government to provide improved services to its people,” Gulley said.[[In-content Ad]]