Mar 19, 2008 5:37 pm US/Eastern
Emotional Homecoming For Troops On 5th Anniversary
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (WBZ) ―
For 90 local soldiers, the 5th anniversary of the Iraq War marks an emotional homecoming.
They landed at Hanscom Air Field in Bedford at 5 p.m., then headed to their home armory in Cambridge, where their families were waiting for them to arrive about an hour later.
The Army National Guard Battalion (181st infantry regiment) has members from all over the state who've been providing security and protective escort services to troops in Iraq.
A formal awards and homecoming ceremony will be planned for a later date.
Most Army National Guard members have other jobs in the civilian world. They work out of an armory in Cambridge one weekend a month and two weeks a year. They spend about seven months in Iraq.
"I didn't know what he was going to see," said Carla Moore, mother of a returning soldier. "Living in Medfield, he lived a little privileged life, so that concerned me."
Their job in Iraq was to provide security for high ranking officers and dignitaries when they were off the grounds of the secured base.
"He's the same kid. I'm sure it has changed some part of him," Moore said. "He has seen what the big bad world is all about."
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