Thousands of servicemen return to cheers in Indianapolis

The battle cry that became a way of life for thousands of Indiana men and women rang through Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday as families and friends celebrated the homecoming of their National Guard and Army soldiers.

While many soldiers have already been home for months, the ceremony was meant to commemorate achievements in Iraq during the past year and to honor those who never returned home.

After a year spent in Iraq, Sgt. Aaron Childress was welcomed home by his family, including his mother, Sandy Childress.

“He left in January and then he got home two days after Thanksgiving,” Sandy Childress said. “He was in Afghanistan in 2005, so this is our second time. His time is up. I don’t think he’s going to re-enlist. I’m a glad mama.”

Gov. Mitch Daniels, along with thousands of family members and friends of returned
soldiers, welcomed home more than 3,600 Army and Indiana National Guard soldiers from each of Indiana’s 92 counties.

“We have missed you every day,” Daniels said in his address to the soldiers.

The soldiers, who are back after a year of deployment, saw changes occur in Iraq and Afghanistan, but Daniels said while they were gone, many changes happened in the United States as well.

“You came back to a different America than the one you left,” he said. “I’m sure you can’t mistake the difference. We have hard times. We have people hurting. We have some things that have gone a little south on us since you went away.”

Outside Lucas Oil Stadium, the economy might be struggling, but on the field Saturday people were cheering.

“I’m happy to see all the troops,” Specialist Christian Bean, an Indiana National Guard soldier awaiting deployment, said. “It’s good so many came back.”

While these soldiers were greeted by their governor, their home for the past year was changing.

Provincial voting took place Saturday across Iraq with minimal violence to disrupt the process.

“From everything I’ve heard, it’s been very successful,” Staff Sgt. Les Newport, a photojournalist for the 76th Infantry Brigade, said. “It’s great for the Iraqis. What a great thing for the 76th Brigade and the Indiana National Guard and all the folks on the ground that have helped make that possible.”

The men who spent months risking their lives have encountered many different experiences, Newport said.

“It is probably the most challenging year that a lot of these men and women in the brigade will ever face in their lives,” Newport said. “They did an incredible job. If anybody ever asks me why I’m in the National Guard, it’s because the people I get to work with every day.”

After serving thousands of miles from Indiana, the soldiers were welcomed home by the support of their families and state.

“It was wonderful that the state of Indiana did this for our soldiers,” Sandy Childress said. “This is just such a good feeling – welcoming them home and thanking them for their service to our country.”