Guardsmen honored at hometown heroes salute
Reporter: Alexis Fernandez
TUCSON (KGUN0-TV) - Nearly a thousand Arizona National Guardsmen packed a hanger on base to honor their fellow soldiers from the 162nd Fighter Wing unit based here in Tucson.
It was part of the third annual Hometown Heroes Salute.
About a dozen units and individual soldiers were honored for their service supporting missions overseas during the past year.
This specific unit helped train F-16 pilots from across the world.
"Really, it's for their families, for us to say thank you to their families, as well as for them to get recognition, in front of their peers and the community," said the commander, Col. Mick McGuire.
One of those soldier honored was Major Tyson John, who is in charge if an aircraft maintenance unit.
"Even though I may have gotten an individual recognition, it's honestly everyone who works for me, my program for instance, they're the ones that made it happen, I just point to the direction and they figure it out and it gets us where we need to be," he said.
He says salutes like this one can mean the world to a soldier.
"It's awesome that those individuals are getting recognized, for the community and the service that they do, again not just for the country but for the community as well," he said.
Eighteen soldiers who died from non-combat related incidences were also honored at the event.
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