Kentucky Guard Soldiers Return Home

Monday, August 20, 2012 at 7:29 AM

Soldiers of the 1204th Aviation Support Battalion salute during the national anthem at the Florence Freedom Baseball Stadium during their welcome home ceremony in Florence, Ky., Aug. 18.

Photo by Sgt. Scott Raymond/DVIDS

(Florence, Ky.) - A field usually reserved for baseball heroics was instead occupied by American heroes in Florence on Saturday.

About 225 Kentucky National Guard soldiers received a warm welcome home at the Florence Freedom stadium. Friends and family filled the stadium seats as the 1204th Aviation Support Battalion returning from Kuwait.

The unit made up of 600 soldiers from Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, and Maryland is the last Kentucky battalion to leave Iraq. They had been serving there since August 26, 2011.

"These Soldiers served honorably," said Lt. Col. Tom Roach, 1204th ASB Commander. "From Iraq to Kuwait to Qatar to Jordan and Afghanistan, they've added to the historic legacy of the Kentucky National Guard."

Spc. Daniel Morrison, from Florence, Ky., deployed with the Headquarters Support Co., 1204th ASB and couldn't wait to get back to his family.

"It feels great to be home, to see trees and grass, not the sand blowing in your face all day," said Morrison. "First thing I want to do is get a nice, fat steak."

"From the recovery of millions of dollars worth of equipment from Iraq, to sustaining air operations in theatre, to providing world class medical care to troops overseas," said Maj. Gen. Edward W. Tonini, adjutant general of Kentucky. "The 1204th exceeded all expectations and showcased the Kentucky Guard like never before."