Guard Troops Return Home From Afghanistan

The calendar may say March, but it looked like the Fourth of July in Chillicothe Tuesday when the town welcomed 150 soldiers home from Afghanistan.

The crowd packed into the National Guard Armory to greet the troops who spent 17 months working security in Kabul.

KMBC's Bev Chapman reported that even the state's adjutant general choked back tears before the 129th Field Artillery Battalion.

Following the ceremony, wives searched for husbands and husbands looked for wives.

Eva Wilmes, 4, of Maryville, was thrilled to see her daddy again.

"It was rough. I missed her so much and she's all grown now. She's all legs," said Marcel Alvarado, Eva's father.

"It was very hard. Parents helped, but it was not the same without him," said Kerri Taylor, Eva's mother.

In addition to Chillicothe, the 129th includes National Guard units from Maryville, Albany, Independence, Richmond, Marshall and Trenton.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• KMBC
• Chillicothe
• National
• Guard
• troops
• return
• home
• Afgahnistan
• welcome
• ceremony