More Oklahoma 45th Infantry Soldiers Return Home

Nearly 3,000 Oklahoma Army National Guardsmen were deployed to Afghanistan and Kuwait last June.

The guard says about half have now returned to the United States and all are expected back in Oklahoma by the end of March.

This concludes a year-long wait for many families.

Another group of Oklahoma National Guard soldiers are due to return home.

The guard says about 170 soldiers with the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team returned Sunday afternoon to Will Rogers Air National Guard Base in Oklahoma City.

The soldiers have spent about nine months deployed to Afghanistan and Kuwait.

"The anticipation in the hanger has been absolutely overwhelming," said U.S. Representative James Lankford, R-Okla.

Anticipation leads up to the moment the hanger bay doors open, giving mothers, and fathers, sons and daughters the first glimpse of a loved one.

But before the troops can be dismissed to their families, there's a last-minute briefing from a commanding officer.

Finally, the soldiers of the 45th can let down their guard, and pick up the little ones they've waited so long to see.

"The kids just ran, they were so excited," said Sheila Rodkey the mother-in-law of soldier Jesse Schwerdtfger.

Addison Schwerdtfger, Jesse's daughter said, "It's been a long time since he's been in Oklahoma, it's been since November."

Altogether some 170 troops will sleep on American soil tonight, which will allow military mothers to sleep soundly in knowing their loved one is out of harm's way.

"It feels wonderful, wonderful," Rodkey said.

The wait was long...

"Really hard, it's been really hard to be patient," Addison Schwerdtfger said.

But it was worth it for the soldiers, bringing about a new appreciation for the home they've so longed to see.

What did one soldier miss?

"Red dirt clay... everybody says that."

Sunday's event marks the halfway point for the draw down of the 45th, of the 3,000 soliders deployed overseas, nearly half are back on American soil. The rest should be back home by the end of the month.