A bus ride back from Iraq
The chartered bus carrying 22 soldiers home from following two-year deployment to Iraq was greeted by Minnesota Patriot Guard members, family and friends who waved flags and signs at Camp Ripley. More than 700 Minnesota Army National Guard soldiers from the First Brigade Combat Team of the 34th Infantry Division - the Red Bulls - are expected to return home this week with a total of 2,600 to eventually all return home in coming weeks. The 2,600 soldiers have been deployed 22 months, 16 months of which were in a combat zone, longer than any other military unit in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
The chartered bus carrying 22 soldiers home from following two-year deployment to Iraq was greeted by Minnesota Patriot Guard members, family and friends who waved flags and signs at Camp Ripley. More than 700 Minnesota Army National Guard soldiers from the First Brigade Combat Team of the 34th Infantry Division - the Red Bulls - are expected to return home this week with a total of 2,600 to eventually all return home in coming weeks. The 2,600 soldiers have been deployed 22 months, 16 months of which were in a combat zone, longer than any other military unit in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls » Purchase reprints of this photo.