Montana’s Incoming Chief Justice Was on the Ground in Syria

Check out this great photo of your newly elected Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court on the ground in Syria back in 2022.

Cory Swanson is the Broadwater County Attorney who will be sworn in as chief justice next month after his win in the November elections. He's also an Iraq war veteran who continues to serve as a full bird colonel in the Montana Army National Guard.

As the news broke that the dictatorial regime of Syrian President Bashaar Assad was coming to an end, Swanson shared the above photo from his last deployment to the Middle East. (We are sharing it here with permission)

Cory Swanson: "This is my only photo from a cold day in March 2022, doing a combat patrol in Bradley Fighting Vehicles in eastern Syria. I was visiting my Montana National Guard unit stationed there. The situation in Syria is complex, and the welcome news of Bashar al Assad being overthrown will only make it more so. But good riddance to a very bad man. I hope the people of Syria and the region have a chance to build a government that works for them, instead of terrorizing and oppressing them."

Colonel Swanson's unit, the 1st Combined Arms Battalion of the 163rd Cavalry Regiment, did great work on their last deployment. I remember seeing a press release from CENTCOM hailing their efforts.

Here's part of what I wrote back in April of 2022.

The U.S. military's Central Command (CENTCOM) shared a news release crediting the 163rd with providing additional armored capability in Syria. CENTCOM oversees forces deployed in the Middle East. CENTCOM particularly credited the impact of the Bradley Fighting Vehicles with recent success (for the layman a Bradley looks similar to a tank).

“The Bradleys quickly proved their worth last month in close support to the Syrian Democratic Forces who quelled Daesh’s attempted breakout of Ghuwayran Prison in Hasakah City,” said Lt Col Dan Leard, commander, Task Force Rock. “The unit has since turned south to support the SDF along the Middle Euphrates River Valley. There’s nothing in this theater that could stand against this company of Bradleys. They provide a supreme sense of confidence to our partners as they continue the fight against Daesh.”

Meanwhile, it looks as though troops back in Kuwait have been conducting some solid live-fire training. The 163rd is known as "Task Force Griz."

Click here for that full report from back in 2022.

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Gallery Credit: Anuradha Varanasi