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Foxtrot
Story by Spc. William E. Henry,
Indiana
Army National Guard
Posted: May 1, 2008
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Corporal Marc Nichols, Company F, 151st
Infantry, kisses his daughter Sienna at the homecoming
ceremony held in the 38th Infantry Division Armory,
Wednesday, April 30, 2008. During its year-long deployment
in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Company F provided
convoy security while in theater, logging more than one
million miles in escort missions. Photo by Spc. William E.
Henry, Indiana
Army National Guard
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INDIANAPOLIS—Hundreds
of loved ones welcomed home about 160 National Guard Soldiers with
open arms at the 38th Infantry Division Armory in
Indianapolis,
April 30.
After a year of
mobilization, Soldiers and families of Company F, 151st Infantry
were once again united.
Phillip Clouser, father of
Spc. Brian Clouser, was on hand to see his son return to the States,
and spoke of how proud he was of his son.
“The best thing is that
he’s coming home safe. Every one of them is a hero in my eyes,”
Clouser added.
While families and friends
patiently waited for their Soldiers, a special guest, Vitor Meira,
Indy Car driver of the National Guard car, stopped by to extend his
gratitude to the families of the troops and signed autographs while
they waited for the arrival.
When three knocks hit the
overhead door of the drill floor it was time to see the Soldiers.
They marched in with roaring cheers from the seats and banners
waving.
The cheering wasn’t just
done on the drill floor; the Soldiers did some cheering of their
own.
“When the pilot announced
we were in American airspace, the whole plane erupted into cheers,”
said Sgt. Daniel Costello, Armored Security Vehicle truck commander.
While deployed, the
company had the mission of convoy security, escorting transports of
food and goods around their area of operation,
Camp
Liberty,
Baghdad,
Costello continued.
To keep those vehicles
running for the missions it takes mechanics like Pvt. Adam Artist,
who said he took pride in his work while in Iraq.
“There’s nothing better
than being home, but I’m glad I did do what I could to help the guys
out on their missions,” said Artist.
The Soldiers received a
three day pass after getting back, and will go through
demobilization training at
Camp
Atterbury
Joint
Maneuver
Training
Center.
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