105 Iowa Guard members welcomed back in Cedar Falls

CEDAR FALLS -- More than 100 soldiers serving in Afghanistan returned home to Eastern Iowa on Saturday.

The soldiers are part of the 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Divison of the Iowa National Guard, which left Iowa last August.  The deployment of nearly 3,000 Iowa Guard members to Afghanistan was the largest since World War II.

An estimated 2,500 people packed the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls to welcome the troops home.

"It's amazing to see him again," said Allison Statema, who was reunited with her husband Saturday.  "I'm way excited to have him home."

Sgt. Kyle Statema, a native of Pella, has been away from his wife for most of their marriage. The couple has been married for about a year and a half, Allison Statema said.

"That's been tough," she said.  "It's nice to have him back."

"It's always exciting, you spend so much time away from families, it's just something I really don't know how to explain," Kyle Statema said. He's been deployed to various places during his time with the Guard, and he said welcome-home ceremonies are an important part of the mission.

A number of locals also waited for the buses along the streets, where some people waved American flags and held signs.

"It's important to support these guys," said Larry McKinney, a Vietnam veteran. He recalled a lack of enthusiasm for veterans who returned from Vietnam in the 1970s, and he said he doesn't want any soldiers from the modern era to have that experience.

Several ceremonies for Guard members returning from Afghanistan were held around Iowa on Thursday, including one in Cedar Rapids, and another is planned for 11 a.m. Sunday in Dubuque. About 220 members of Companies A and D, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division will be welcomed at the Grand River Center, 500 Bell St.