The 1195th Transportation Company made it home to a welcoming celebration that I feel honored to have shared! They rolled into Kearney, NE on Friday the 16th of April in the early evening. For the last 11 months the unit has been stationed at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq. Amid their ranks was a one, Sargent Jeremy Brill, 2nd eldest son of my dear friends, Mark and Coleen Brill.

Sargent Jeremy Brill

I knew him from a baby, watched him grow, fussed over him with his brothers and little sis over the years of hanging with this family, and worried for him when he was stationed in the Middle East...twice! Jeremy's first deployment was with 12 servicemen and so the return of those 12 was not celebrated as was this company of the 140 service personnel returning from deployment.

This was a SWEET celebration!

More than 180 members of the Nebraska Patriot Guard Riders escorted four chartered buses to the Kearney High School for a, standing room only, Welcome Home Celebration. Hearing those Harley's rumble in front of and behind those buses as they drove under a huge suspended United States flag was a goose bump producing moment!!

The Brill family had donned black t-shirts with Welcome Home Sgt Jeremy Brill, to identify their 'pack' of eight. Even the newest addition to the pack, a nephew, born not quite a month ago, was wearing the smallest version of the 'pack' t-shirt. AND one of those shirts was gifted to me.♥

The unit's commander, Eric Baptiste of Omaha, NE brought home all members of the company with only one injury. Praise the Lord for blessing him and the safe return of all these awesome soldiers!

Still...
wish there was no war.
No killing, no need to protect.
No sleepless nights wondering if our kids are going to come home...intact emotionally ~ physically ~ mentally...all still there, like these soldiers.., now here, for us to wrap in our arms and smother them with relieved love. ♥