WRIGHTSTOWN, N.J. - The Delaware National Guard welcomed home the 130 members of the 153rd Military Police Company.
Soldiers arrived at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst from Afghanistan on the afternoon of Sept. 18, 2013. Maj. Gen. Francis D. Vavala, the adjutant general of the Delaware National Guard, was on the tarmac with other senior leaders from the guard to welcome the company home.
Vavala said, “It is always a great day when we welcome our soldiers home.”
While in theater, the primary mission of the 153rd was to assist and train their Afghan counterparts in security operations. Typical training included setting up road side checkpoints, securing building projects and conducting walking patrols.
What was scheduled to be a 12-month deployment, ended after nine months. Family and friends were ecstatic to welcome their soldiers home early.
Nicole McCall, wife of Staff Sgt. Roger McCall, and their daughter, Rilee, patiently waited with their welcome home signs as the buses rolled in. As soon as they saw him, they erupted into tears and screams of joy.
According to Mrs. McCall, “This was like Christmas Day all over again.”