FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The New England Patriots' team jet was used to fly members of the South Dakota National Guard back home from the Horn of Africa last week.
A spokesman for the South Dakota Governors' Office confirmed Wednesday that the Boeing 767 was chartered by the Department of Defense to bring the 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade back home to Sioux Falls, South Dakota on the last leg of their journey from Djibouti.
The troops were serving in the African nation with the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa on a ten-month tour of duty. The troops were flown on the Patriots' plane from Fort Hood in Texas and got back on July 1st.
A ceremony to honor the troops was held last Thursday, and included families of the troops, along with South Dakota Governor Kirsti Noem and Senator John Thune.
WBZ NewsRadio has reached out to the Patriots for comment.
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WBZ's Bea Aldrich contributed reporting.
Written by Chaiel Schaffel.