Soldiers from 304th SB return from Iraq

  • Published
  • By Sgt. Tracy Ellingsen
  • 304th Sustainment Brigade
MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CALIF. --  Sixty-eight Soldiers from the Army Reserve's 304th Sustainment Brigade returned from a one-year tour in Iraq on Sept. 27. Friends, family members, fellow Soldiers, and community members greeted the returning warriors in front of the Riverside Convention Center. 

"I promised to bring them all home, and today I did," said Lt. Col. Norman B. Green, the commander of the brigade.

The brigade left last summer for Joint Base Balad, where they sustained coalition forces through transportation and contracting and helped train Iraqi security forces.

"This group had a lot of community support when they left," said 1st Sgt. Stephen
Kreider, the headquarters first sergeant. "And they had even more support when they came home." 

Sergeant Kreider was speaking of the numerous government and civic organizations that organized a special homecoming for the brigade's return.

The buses that drove the Soldiers from March Air Reserve Base to downtown Riverside didn't travel alone. They were accompanied by patrol cars from the California Highway Patrol and dozens of motorcycles from the Patriot Guard Riders. 

Downtown, the Riverside Fire Department parked a ladder truck in front of the convention center and flew a large American Flag over the road where the buses where parked. 

Members of the 304th Sustainment Brigade Family Readiness Group and the "Moms of the Military" support group arrived in the early morning hours to hang "welcome home" signs in front of the convention center. 

During their entire season, members of the Yucaipa High School varsity football team wore the 304th Sustainment Brigade's patch on their home and away jerseys in support of the Soldiers. The football players and a handful of cheerleaders from the school, attended the homecoming to welcome back the troops they showed support for every Friday night. 

When the Soldiers got off the bus, they probably didn't realize all the work that had gone into making their homecoming special, and that is what the participating organizations were hoping for. Even though the official welcome home ceremony wasn't held until the following evening, the impromptu welcome amid hugs, tears, and high-fives, was a welcome home fit for a hero.