Highland Community College and the Highland Football team will celebrate Military Appreciation Day this coming Saturday, October 16 at Porter Family Stadium. The Scotties will host Hutchison Community College in a Kansas Jayhawk Conference match up with kickoff scheduled for 1pm.

This year Highland is recognizing our two local military units, the Army's 130^th Field Artillery Unit from Hiawatha, KS and the Air Force's 139^th Airlift Wing from St. Joseph, MO. Several members of our community and many HCC Alumni have served with these distinguished units and we would like to recognize their service and commitment to our nation. Highland players will be wearing the insignias of these two units on their helmets during the game against Hutchison to commemorate each unit's service and contributions. 

The Army will have a M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) truck behind the west endzone for public viewing and there will also be a field artillery cannon that will fire a ceremonial round before the start of the game. There is a tailgate celebration planned for all active and retired military personnel in the lot behind the LSU Building. All military members, both active and retired, will receive free entry to the game on Saturday.
 
139^th Airlift Wing
The Missouri Air National Guard's 139th Airlift Wing has been flying missions out of St. Joseph since World War II. During that time, the wing flew bomber aircraft and eventually transitioned to an air refueling mission.

Today, the wing's mission is airlift. They fly the C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft providing transportation of America's forces around the globe. The wing has deployed to every major US military operation in the 21st century including Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Inherent Resolve, and Operation Freedom's Sentinel just to name a few. But the wing doesn't just support the country's war fighting efforts overseas.

The wing has activated countless times to state side emergencies including relief efforts for Hurricane's Katrina, Harvey, Irma, and Maria. In Missouri, the wing has responded to relief efforts related to tornadoes, ice storms, floods and most recently the COVID-19 pandemic. The 1,000 plus men and women of the 139th Airlift Wing will continue to serve the nation's war efforts as well as support the local communities in times of need.
 
130^th Field Artillery
 
On December 17th, 1879 citizens of Winfield formed an artillery battery, which they referred to as the Saint John's battery. Following World War I, the artillery in Kansas reorganized, and the 1st Kansas Artillery was permanently designated the 130th Field Artillery. The 1st battalion was headquartered in Hutchinson and the 2nd Battalion, 130th Field Artillery was established and headquartered in Hiawatha.
 
In December 1940, the battalion was activated as part of the 35th Division in President Roosevelt's selective one-year call up. Units of the 130th Regiment saw duty in the Aleutians, Europe, and the Philippines by the end of the war.  The battalion was deactivated following World War II. In 1947, federal recognition was extended to the 154th Field Artillery Battalion during the Korean War. The 154th Field Artillery was re-designated as the 2d Battalion 130th Field Artillery in 1963.
 
In 1968, the Pueblo incident caused the entire 69th Infantry Brigade to be activated and almost one-third of the enlisted soldiers, and nearly all officers, were levied for duty in Vietnam.  In December 1969, the unit was released from active duty, and returned to the control of the State of Kansas.
 
The 2d Battalion 130th Field Artillery deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from December 2003 to February 2005. In support of Operation Jumpstart along the Arizona/Mexico Border January to February 2007. After that, the unit deployed to Sinai, Egypt as a part of the Multi-National Force and Observer Group from July 2009 to July 2010. Then in 2017, they deployed to Kuwait, Syria and Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.