Roanoke Virginia National Guardsmen return home from Iraq

WSLS News Staff
Published: May 13, 2008

About 170 Virginia National Guardsmen and their families are reunited again, after nearly a year away from home in Iraq, and 18 months away from their families.

The homecoming happened just before lunchtime at the Roanoke armory for E-company.  Cars, families, and friends lined the street as the soldiers came in.

After their dismissal from formation, hugs, kisses, and screams of joy could be seen.

Specialist Matthew Jones told us, “It was hard standing in formation outside, and watching them, and not being able to come up and say hi or hug them or anything.”

Not all of E-company came home.  Staff Sergeant Jesse Ault from Dublin was killed back on April 9th, when his convoy hit a roadside bomb.  Sgt. Ault was the only soldier killed or wounded in combat from E-company.

The unit logged more than one million miles driving supplies all over the Baghdad area, and more than 5.5 million miles total in Iraq in more than 130 missions.  E-company’s primary mission is transportation.  They delivered critical supplies to American forces deployed in Iraq in Kuwait.

10 On Your Side’s Scott Leamon will bring you more of the emotional homecoming starting tonight on WSLS at 5:00 p.m.