Idaho National Guard Coming Home

They've been trickling back over the last few days, but today will see the first mass return of members of the state's National Guard from 10 months in Iraq with the 116th Brigade Combat Team. The local paper has been doing a pretty good job of covering them, and hopefully we'll see some good coverage of their happy homecomings as well.

Blogger MaDeuceGunner is also part of the 116th BCT, and is coming home as well.

As might be expected, the local paper checked up on family of the state's most famous war casualty, Cpl. Carrie French. (You may remember that noted asshat Fred Phelps and his family attempted to disrupt her funeral.) The family seems to be coping as well as might be expected; I can't begin to imagine the pain they've gone through, and I hope we as a country can find the wherewithal to follow through on her father's hope that we finish the job in Iraq, so that she didn't die in vain.

Update 2021 09 Nov: Here's the story from the local newspaper on the homecoming itself.