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| Soldiers With Kewanee-Based Guard Unit Welcomed Home |
It didn't take long for the celebrations to begin in one Henry County community.
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About a dozen and a half members of the Illinois Army National Guard's Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 106th Calvary were dismissed and almost immediately embraced by their families Wednesday night during a ceremony at the National Guard Armory in Kewanee -- one of a half-dozen armories in parts of Northern and Central Illinois that played host to welcome home ceremonies for National Guard Soldiers completing their year-long tours of duty in Afghanistan.
The streets of Kewanee were lined with American Flags and residents holding signs, and there was plenty of cheering and celebrating.
One of those who returned home is Staff Sergeant Jesse Glaub of Washington, Illinois, who tells WGIL he couldn't wait to come back to the area.
"It was a good feeling," Glaub said. "It was exciting...just very exciting to come home."
Glaub tells WGIL he was thrilled at just how the community came out to support their men and women in uniform once again.
"It made me feel great," Glaub said. "A lot of people participated, which, with a small community like this, really pitched in. Our morale went way up on it."
A number of the Guard units that have been in Afghanistan have served as part of the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, which provided security and training to Afghan police forces. Headquarters Company lost one of their men in February, Sergeant Schuyler Patch of Kewanee, when a roadside bomb detonated. Glaub says his colleagues honored Patch the best way they could: finishing their jobs.
(A sign above the entrance to the National Guard Armory in Kewanee Wednesday.)
(A bus carrying the soldiers follows the Patriot Guard Riders to the armory.)
(The first soldiers get out of their bus.)
(The soldiers enter the Kewanee National Guard Armory, and are saluted by friends, family, and members of the Kewanee Veterans Council on their way.)
(The soldiers are led in their dismissal ceremony.)
(One of a sea of signs at the Kewanee National Guard Armory Wednesday night.)
(Soldiers are hugged by their families.)
(More of the signs that adorned the Kewanee National Guard Armory. WGIL News Story and Photos by Will Stevenson.) |
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| 09 03 09 by Newsroom |
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