Family and friends gather to welcome home over 350 Arizona National Guard members

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Families, friends and state leaders gathered on Saturday afternoon to welcome home hundreds of brave men and women from the Arizona National Guard.

Over 350 soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 158th Infantry Regiment, Bushmasters returned home after serving in 17 locations across seven countries. Among those were Bushmasters who were injured in a drone attack in Jordan earlier this year, which left three U.S. service members from Georgia dead.

Despite the attack, officials say the unit’s dedication and rigorous training ensured they responded with exceptional professionalism and bravery.

“They were basically in the central command area of the Middle East, South Asia, and they were involved in law and order and security in the region,” said Maj. Gen. Kerry Muehlenbeck. “Service is something that nobody can take away from them. Once they’ve done it, they own it forever, and that is something they should be proud of.”

Maj. Gen. Muehlenbeck added that the soldiers’ differences helped them succeed in their mission.

“That’s the beauty of the National Guard. We have so many drill status soldiers who do a number of other things in their real job and then they can leverage that opportunity when they deploy. So it’s a great way to come together, take all of their abilities to package it and then to address whatever comes along,” she explained.

Families eagerly awaited their loved ones’ arrival with American flags, signs and flowers. One woman’s sign read, “I’ve waited 313 days for this moment.”

“It’s just a rush of emotion,” said Maj. Gen. Muehlenbeck. “The signs are just a great reminder that everything we do, those of us in uniform, we can’t do it without the support of our family members, the support of our friends.”

Gov. Katie Hobbs was also in attendance to welcome home the troops and thanked them for representing Arizona.

Capt. Hyrum Byers shared that being away from his growing family was difficult during his first deployment with the battalion.

“My wife was pregnant during the deployment, so not being able to help her while she was pregnant for the first few months was very challenging. That, and also to focus on the very real mission we had over there,” he explained. “It’s been good to be home; great to be around my kids again. This whole battalion did a good job. All of their families should be proud, proud of what they did because they did awesome.”

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