After A Year in Iraq, Troops Back at Home

Amid news that some U.S. soldiers will have to stay in Iraq longer than expected, some Arkansas soldiers are safe at home this evening. About 40 members of the Army Reserves Alpha Compnay came home to the cheers of family and friends at the Hot Springs Mall. The troops spent the last year in Fallujah, Iraq. While away, the Family Readiness Group raised thousands of dollars, some used to send Thanksgiving dinner to the troops...and the rest to throw today`s party, showing their heroes just how much they`re appreciated. "I missed my family the most, that`s the hardest part about being in Iraq, being away from my family," said Sgt. Dante Smith. Back at home now, the soldiers and their families can forget about the times when they were apart. "We have alot of stuff to catch up on...I have one child, many nights, she`s cry, cry, cry for her Daddy," said Smith`s wife, Bobbie. "Homesick...I had a brand new daughter, so I was concerned about her and my wife," said Sergeant Brett Carpenter. He missed the first ten months of his daughter, Kylie`s life. "We stayed pretty busy, we stayed on the road, a lot of travelling, basically all over the nation," Carpenter said. Sergeant Dante Smith remembers a few close calls. "Some Iraqis had shot some mortars into our FOB about 100 meters away from our building. That shook everybody up," he said. "Couple of times, I was just ready to come home," said Carpenter. But one of the toughter times for Alpha Company, was losing their own Specialist Johnathan Cheatham in a grenade attack. "The biggest part that helped I think, all of us, with going through was that we still had a mission to do and Johnathan would have wanted to keep on going with that mission," said the company commander, Lt. Justin Kilpatrick. Mission accomplished, these soldiers can put on another hat, but not forgetting the troops still fighting for the Red, White and Blue. "Keep praying for all the soldiers and marines still over there," said Kilpatrick. The company had several missions while they were away helping build force protection barriers and guarding and destroying enemy munitions. They`ll all have about 90 days of R&R before getting back to the Reserve duties. There`s no word on if or when they`ll be deployed again for Operation Iraqi Freedom.