Troops welcomed home after 255 days of missions between Kuwait, Iraq

Michigan National Guard Major Jeff Kinninger, of Grand Rapids, holds his daughter, Karine Kinninger, 3, after she ran onto the stage when she spotted him in the crowd Friday during a welcome home ceremony at Resurrection Life Church.



WYOMING — A sea of flags, homemade signs and deafening cheers filled a Wyoming church today as family and friends of 330 Michigan Army National Guard soldiers welcomed them home from nearly a year of duty in Kuwait and Iraq.

The return of the 126 Calvary Squadron left few eyes dry and filled the entryway of Resurrection Life Church with a swarm of emotional reunions among husbands, wives, children, parents, friends and family.

After embracing his wife, Deb, and his two young sons, Nathan and Joshua, Army National Guard Capt. Jon Tew confessed to wanting one more thing.

"To have a steak," said Tew, a Hopkins resident. "I haven't had a good steak in a while."

A teary-eyed Deb Tew touched her husband's face and told him that won't be a problem.

"You can have whatever you want," she said. "I'm so proud of you."

The soldiers were assigned to four different 126th Cavalry Squadron companies from Wyoming, Cadillac, Manistee and Dowagiac and headquartered out of the Grand Valley Armory on 44th Street. The group left on Jan. 4 to train at Fort Hood, Texas, and arrived in Kuwait in April. They provided convoy security and security force protection missions between Kuwait and Iraq.

They arrived today at Gerald R. Ford International Airport on a donated United Airlines 747. The troops grabbed their belongings planeside and quickly boarded seven buses donated by Great Lakes Motorcoach.

As the convoy made its way to Wyoming where family and friends waited, well wishers honked horns and lined 44th Street.

Inside the packed church, large speakers blared rock music while the crowd waved American flags and held banners and homemade signs such as "Welcome Home Daddy, you're my hero" and "The Pride of Michigan."

While deployed, the 126th traveled more than 2.4 million miles, had 3,600 missions and zero combat casualties, Lt. Col. Clark Barrett said.

"In 255 days, the worst accident was a fender bender," Barrett said.
MLive

I'm going to take a wild guess, and guess Joe is home.

Welcome home Joe