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Fort Leonard Wood welcomes home 463rd Military Police Company

Meredith Turk
/
KBIA

Sixty army troops returned home to Fort Leonard Wood from their deployment in Afghanistan.

After being gone for nine months, members of the 463rd Military Police Company of the United States Army came home.  Soldier Michael Goodrow was excited to see his family.

“It was crazy, I was on the plane, in transit for 24 hours, got the bus for a 2 hour ride to get here, it was very intense," Goodrow says.

First Sgt. Mark Hillman says his soldiers were at Bagram Airfield during the controversial Koran burning in February.

“They truly stood up, helped quell the situation that was getting out of control to a peaceful resolution for the safety of the people of Bagram Airfield," Hillman says.

The emotions were high in the crowded room.  First Lt. Emma Schiller came to welcome home a woman she hasn’t seen in six years. 

“One of the worst things is when you have no one to come back to and you come back to these welcome back ceremonies and everyone is running to their wives and their children and there’s tears everywhere and you don’t have a family," Schiller says. "You’re a single female and there’s no one running towards you to give you a hug.  It’s really sad, and then you have to be like ‘OK, who has a number for a taxi."

Schiller found out about her friend’s arrival through Facebook. 

Technology also helped Rhonda Wright keep in contact with her twenty-two year old daughter.

“We’re totally modern now," Wright says. "Before she we couldn’t get on the computer, but we mastered everything now I guess."

Soldier Nicholas Hagler witnessed his child’s birth over Skype.

“I’m just extremely happy to be home and finally get to see my son for the first time in person," Hagler says.

After the ceremony some went for dinner, some wanted to sleep.  But for some it was just about hugging their beloved ones after several months in Afghanistan.