APPLETON (NBC 26) — More than 75 Wisconsin soldiers came home Friday after nearly a year deployed in the Middle East, returning to emotional reunions with the families who had counted down the days until their arrival.
The active-duty troops with the First Battalion of the 121st Field Artillery Regiment landed at the Appleton Flight Center, where cheers erupted as loved ones rushed to embrace soldiers they had not seen in months.
Inside the hangar, families waved American flags, held handmade signs and fought back tears as they waited for the moment they could finally hold their spouses, parents and children again after months apart.
For the Siebold family of Kewaunee, the homecoming was difficult to put into words.
“It’s hard to express how it feels, but I’ve gotten so used to him not being here,” a family member said. “I don’t think I can comprehend that he’s actually coming home today.”
The deployment meant missing birthdays, holidays and family milestones — sacrifices shared not only by the soldiers overseas, but by the families waiting for them back home.
Gov. Tony Evers and Sen. Tammy Baldwin joined the crowd to welcome the troops home and thank them for their service and sacrifice.
