Holly Holloway was waiting with the crowd Sunday morning. She didn't know exactly when the flight would land at Volk Field at Camp Douglas, only that it would bring her son, Travis, back to her.
Mobilized in June 2004 and deployed to the Mideast in November 2004, the members of Arcadia-based Company C of the 128th Infantry's 1st Battalion served almost a full year in central Iraq and the Samara area.
Announcements were made over the hangar's loudspeakers, said Holloway. They updated the plane's location and expected arrival time, which changed from time to time. Finally at 7:20 a.m., the plane landed.
“It was a surreal situation, but when they came off the plane, I knew it was real," said Holloway, who last saw Travis in August, when he was home on leave. She said it was an exciting time for everyone at Volk Field.
It took about 20 minutes for the soldiers to file off the plane and return their weapons, all the while the crowd of several hundred waited - along with Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton, several senior military officials and the 132nd Army Band - to welcome the soldiers home.
Holloway said there wasn't much time for visiting. “I took a few pictures of Trav and his girlfriend. But I didn't take a lot of pictures because he wanted to talk to the people there."
And it wasn't long before Travis was again taken away, but this time it wasn't overseas, but to Fort McCoy to begin the five-day demobilization processing.
During the process, the soldiers take care of insurance and legal issues, update their records, and are informed about benefits and given guidance to help them make a transition back to civilian life.
Linda Fournier, a public affairs officer at Fort McCoy, said the soldiers that arrived on Sunday were scheduled to be back at the Arcadia National Guard Armory Wednesday afternoon, where they got another rousing reception. From the armory, the soldiers could go home.
This is cache, read story here
