FORT CAMPBELL, KY. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Hangar 3 at Campbell Army Airfield was filled with cheers and applause Thursday as 291 soldiers with the 1st Brigade Combat Team, Bastogne, of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), returned from a nine-month deployment serving in Iraq, Kuwait, and Syria.
One of the returning soldiers, Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Burkhart, a Clarksville native, and his wife Constance, shared their thoughts on him being home. “It’s great to be home, this is home. I am from Clarksvile, born and raised out in in Woodlawn, this is my second deployment with the 101st. It’s been a dream come true to be a part of this unit,” said Burkhart.
“I am beyond excited, I cried when the plane landed, I cried when he walked by and I cried when we sang the Army song, so I’m very excited,” Burkhart’s wife Constance added.
During the Welcome Home Ceremony, more than 100 Vietnam veterans and their families also welcomed the soldiers. A welcome home for those Vietnam veterans was scheduled following the welcome home for the Bastogne soldiers as part of the Welcome Home Veterans Celebration.
Another flight carrying more 1st Brigade soldiers is scheduled to return over the weekend.