US flag returns home to Winnemucca

A US Flag that was carried by the US Army’s 1864th Transportation Company, Nevada National Guard during Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2004-05, recently returned to Winnemucca and is on display at the Veteran’s Hall at 3300 Bengochea Circle.

The flag was presented to 12 members of the 593rd Truck Company, located in Northern Nevada, by Mayor Paul Vesco during the summer of 2004, immediately prior to their deployment.  

The flag was carried by unit members while completing 310 missions, 1.6 million miles and 64 contacts with the enemy, providing logistics support throughout the Iraqi theater of operations.

After the deployment, the flag had been held by SSG Paul Tiensvold, and was recently donated to local veterans’ groups.”

The Boys of Winnemucca

In the summer of 2004, the 1864th transportation company, Nevada National Guard, received the warning order they were going to deploy to the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The 593rd Truck Company, located in Northern Nevada, was tasked with providing personnel to get their southern brothers to 100% readiness. Twelve soldiers from the Winnemucca unit were among those chosen to support that mission, The City of Winnemucca arranged a farewell ceremony for those troops.

During that ceremony, Mayor Vesco presented a flag on behalf of the city to deploy with them. SSG Tiensvold accepted responsibility of the flag and ensured it was properly folded and secured in a Zip-Loc bag (Zip Loc bags are a must for anything worth preserving in the harsh Iraqi desert).

The flag traveled on every mission with SSG “T” and the soldiers from Winnemucca, from Kuwait to all points in Iraq, over 50 thousand miles. The 1864th Transportation Company completed a total of 31- missions, 1.6 million miles and 64 contacts with the enemy, providing logistical support throughout the Iraqi theatre of operations. The soldiers from Winnemucca arrived back home to the loving embrace of family and friends on Nevada Day, Oct. 31, 2005.