1st Squadron, 303rd Cavalry Regiment returns from Djibouti with Yellow Ribbon Event

FIFE, Wash. -- Soldiers from the 1st Squadron, 303rd Cavalry Regiment, 96th Troop Command, Washington National Guard, gathered together with friends and family in Fife, Wash., for a post deployment yellow ribbon event on June 6, 2026 to celebrate returning home from a deployment to the Horn of Africa.

“I appreciate the opportunity to come here and say thank you again for your service, welcome you back, families especially,” said Brig. Gen. Paul Sellars, Assistant Adjutant General of the Washington Army National Guard. “I saw a lot of hugs when I came in so welcome back, and take advantage of all the resources.”

The Yellow Ribbon Program is designed to provide information, services, referrals, and proactive outreach opportunities for service members and their families throughout the entire deployment cycle.

“The Yellow Ribbon is a great opportunity to make sure the soldiers can take advantage of all of the different resources available to them,” said Lt. Col. Eric Seeb, commander of the 1-303rd Cavalry Regiment. “It's great to be able to invite everyone and see the families here who can get that information firsthand.”

After a nine month deployment, soldiers and families alike are happy to have everyone home. Previously deployed to Jordan in support of Operation Spartan Shield in 2019, the squadron’s deployment to the Horn of Africa in support of the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) marked the second recent major deployment for the 1-303rd Cavalry Regiment.

As part of CJTF-HOA, the squadron supported missions focused on countering violent extremism, building partner capacity, and strengthening regional security partnerships. Its role also included crisis response and supporting collective security efforts.

“These soldiers had a very long deployment,” said Seeb. “We’re all just very happy to have everybody home safely and we’re looking forward to continuing to train together.”