Memorial Day weekend is a day we remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
But on Sunday, families across the Valley welcomed back those still with us who were returning for a special homecoming. Three-hundred members of the National Guard returned from a year-long deployment to Afghanistan.
The crowd was filled with children playing, flags waving and signs held high.
“I want to cry here and scream and hug him,” Tiffany Watson said.
“And it’s hard knowing what they are doing, risking their lives.” Sarah Wilson said. Her husband left a year ago, leaving her and their two kids to await his return.
Those waiting also included Serena Baker. Last year she married Cody Baker, just a couple of months before his deployment.
“I’m more excited than I can describe,” she said.
Baker said they got married knowing he'd be leaving and it means "everything" that her husband is home.
"To have him in my arms to know he’s actually here and actually safe,” she said.
And as soon as the formation ended, the crowd broke rank towards their husbands, fathers, and friends to be reunited once again.
“The feeling is incredible, my heart was pounding” Cody Baker said.