By Paul Grimaldi
NORTH KINGSTOWN -- Five National Guardsmen were honored Saturday for their service in Afghanistan.
The members of F Company, 1/126th Aviation were awarded the Army Commendation Medal with "V" for valor during an afternoon ceremony at Quonset Point.
The five Guardsmen were part of a medical-evacuation crew that evacuated five Italian soldiers during a battle in Afghanistan, according to a statement from the R.I. National Guard.
F Company 1/126th went to Afghanistan in January 2011 for a yearlong deployment.
The ceremony also included a change of command and other citations, including three air medals, six citations of appreciation and two Army commendation medals.