Lee Erwin Reporting
lerwin@clarksvillenow.com

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. – The 4th Brigade Combat Team (BCT) welcomed 105 Soldiers home to Fort Campbell on Sunday, January 26 at Campbell Army Airfield. It was a very special welcome home ceremony since it was the last group of “Currahee” Soldiers returning from their deployment to Afghanistan.

(See the photo gallery here)

The ceremony was also historic because it wrapped up the last mission for the 4th BCT before the brigade’s inactivation scheduled for later this spring. The returning Soldiers include Easy Company from the HBO Mini-series “Band of Brothers”.

The dark and the cold of the early morning didn’t diminish the spirits of the family and friends of the Soldiers as they returned. There were the usual cheers as the plane landed and shouts of welcome home as the doors to the aircraft opened and the Soldiers walked toward the hangar.

Volunteers with the Association of the United States Army and members of Navy Federal Credit Union had arrived earlier to help with refreshments for the family members as they waited inside the hangar. As the Soldiers formed up just outside and prepared to march inside, Navy Federal Credit Union employees gave each Soldier a yellow rose.

Lieutenant Colonel Scott Kirkpatrick, Commander of the 2nd Battalion, 506th, talked about coming home and about their mission. “It’s a great honor to be commander of this organization. This mission was difficult but we are very, very happy to be back and very, very happy to have accomplished all of the tasks that were given to us,” Kirkpatrick said.

Another Currahee Soldier, Sergeant Joshua Dwyer, a member of the 4th BCT Public Affairs Office summed up simply what was probably the feeling of many of the Soldiers when he talked about being home. “It feels pretty good. I spent nine months over there and it’s really nice to be back home,” said Dwyer.

Last summer the Army announced that around 320 Soldiers would be lost from the 4th Brigade Combat Team as a result of the inactivation and the Army says plans are for the remainder of the Soldiers to be assigned to one of the other three BCT’s at Fort Campbell.