New Hampshire's elected officials joined the state's military leaders to welcome home a medevac unit that recently returned from Afghanistan.
The 169thMEDEVAC unit went to Afghanistan in September 2012. Made up of National Guard units from New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania and Missouri, the group became known as "Jigsaw'' to reflect the merger of different units.
The medics performed 471 lifesaving missions and carried 427 patients to higher levels of care.
Soldiers in the unit, which returned in August, earned several medals including Bronze Stars.
The ceremony was at 11 a.m. Saturday, at the Army Aviation Support Facility in Concord. Governor Maggie Hassan, U.S. Sens. Kelly Ayotte and Jeanne Shaheen and U.S. Reps. Annie Kuster and Carol Shea-Porter were set to attend.
Amanda Loder reports on business and the economy in NHPR's newsroom, and hosts Weekend Edition. Amanda joined New Hampshire Public Radio following four years of reporting and hosting at Spokane Public Radio in Washington State. At Spokane Public Radio, she was recognized with regional Edward R. Murrow and SPJ awards for her feature and series reporting. During four years at SPR, she worked her way up from general assignment reporter to featurist, and was ultimately tapped to host All Things Considered. Amanda, a native Iowan, received her Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Religious Studies from Lawrence University, and a Master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from Syracuse University.
