TACOMA, Wash. -- It was an early morning homecoming in Tacoma for hundreds of soldiers.
About 300 soldiers from two battalions of the 3rd Stryker Brigade returned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord around 5:30 a.m.
Hundreds of family members and friends gathered and waited for hours inside the Sheridan Gymnasium after the soldiers' flights were delayed. When the soldiers finally marched in, they received a much-awaited, happy welcome home.
The two battalions -- 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment and 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment - left in August of 2009 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, as part of the larger deployment of the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.
This is their third tour of Iraq since 2003. Their last deployment was in 2006-07, which involved hard combat that lasted 15 months. This time, their area of operations was in the Diyala Province, which is a quieter area.
About 1,200 soldiers of the two battalions, about 4,000 total from the 3rd Stryker Brigade, remain in Iraq. They should all return home this summer. The 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division is also in Iraq.
