WOODBURY, Minn. -- There were cheers, smiles and tears as nearly 200 Minnesota National Guard soldiers were reunited with their families after 13 months in Iraq.
More than 1,000 people gathered in Woodbury on Monday as the East St. Paul-based Company B, 1st Battalion, 194th regiment, came home after spending four days reintegrating at Fort McCoy, Wis.
The company was deployed in Iraq as a security force unit and was split up across the country. Some worked with Iraqi police and others worked for the Marines. Some soldiers were from Duluth.
The unit conducted hundreds of missions with the Iraqi army and Iraqi police. Several members received Bronze Star medals. Two received Purple Hearts for wounds received in combat, but nobody from the unit was seriously injured or killed.
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Information from: Jason DeRusha/WCCO-TV, http://www.wcco.com
