Oklahoma Soldiers Return Home From Afghanistan

Some Oklahoma soldiers are back home - arriving back in Tulsa - after a deployment in Afghanistan.

Monday, December 8th 2014, 1:03 pm



Some Oklahoma soldiers are back home - arriving back in Tulsa - after a deployment in Afghanistan.

Five men from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were overseas for nine months on this deployment, helping Afghan forces make the transition as they take over Kandahar Air Base.

People might not think of the Army Corp of Engineers when it comes to a deployment, but they do go support Army operations.

The soldiers were responsible for supporting three regional commands from the borders of Iran in the west to Pakistan in the east. 

One serviceman's wife said she has been praying daily for her husband's return and that's it's been a long few months.
Zola Bombuku is a soldier's wife on a mission - to find her husband in the Tulsa airport. That's important - because she's been looking - and waiting seven months for him to come home.

He commanded a team from the Tulsa district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

"It was really hard, I was just praying that God would protect them over there," she said.

12/4/2014 Related Story:Army Engineer Support Team Returning To Tulsa From Afghanistan

Zola Bombuku is a soldier's wife on a mission - to find her husband in the Tulsa airport. That's important - because she's been looking - and waiting seven months for him to come home.

He commanded a team from the Tulsa district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Other families were waiting for the soldiers - five members of the 59th Field Engineering Support team. Their mission, with most of the time spent at the Kandahar Air Base - was to help smooth the transition from NATO command to the Afghani Army, according to their department head back in Tulsa.

"The end state of the mission is to get out of Afghanistan with our mission and get everything ready for whoever takes over that mission with the properties left behind," said William Smiley, U.S. ArmyCorpss of Engineers Tulsa District.

The soldier's plane was a few minutes late, but once they came in - the families didn't seem to mind.

Sergeant Fredderick Bombuku said it was good to be home with his wife.

"The very first thing is to relieve her on duty. I'm not taking charge, but she needs to take a break. It was a very long summer for her," he said.

Soldiers volunteer to serve - and their families do too.

"I missed him, counted the days, but it's given me a lot of empathy for our military families who have soldiers go multiple times," said Cheryl Davidson, soldier's wife.

There are two more team members from the Army Corps still at work there helping wrap up the job in Afghanistan.



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