Soldiers return home from Afghanistan

The 200 soldiers were deployed overseas to Afghanistan for more than nine months.
Early Sunday morning, family and friends anxiously awaited their arrival, including Magdalena Chavez, whose son also returned home.

“It’s great that he’s home safely,” Chavez said.

The soldiers from Bulldog Brigade arrived early Sunday morning, but weren’t released until noon.
When they were finally released, families were ecstatic.
Hardly any words were exchanged, but the hugs and kisses said it all.

“Better than birthdays, Christmas’s, Anniversary’s, being back with family is the best thing ever,” Sgt. Fuller said.

The 200 soldiers were deployed as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
They had little communication with their families while overseas.
Some say they wrote letters back and forth and Skyped each other,
but it didn’t compare to seeing them today.

“It was probably one of the toughest things to go through, but they train us to be disciplined and keep our head on our shoulders straight to get back to our families,” Sgt. Fuller said.

For families, the distance was just as hard.

“He tries to keep most of it to himself so we don’t worry, but we know it’s hard,” Christina Chavez said.

For the time being, those worries are temporarily gone. The soldiers are now out of harm’s way and back where they belong-home.

“It’s definitely the best feeling ever,” Sgt. Fugitt said.