Spc. Rosie John gets a warm greeting from husband Johnny and son John during a welcome-home ceremony in front of 1st Cavalry Division headquarters at Fort Hood, Texas. John was one of 1,400 Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team and the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade returning home the weekend of Jan. 5-6. (Photo by Air Force Tech. Sgt. Larry Simmons)FORT HOOD, Texas (Army News Service, Jan. 7, 2008) -- Members of the 1st Cavalry Division stepped closer to bringing their ranks back home to Fort Hood, Texas, this weekend with the arrival of close to 1,400 Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team and the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade.
Brig. Gen. Frederick Rudesheim, Fort Hood Installation Commander, mentioned the sacrifice of 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment Soldier Sgt. Alfred Paredez who was killed in action in Iraq, as well as those from the "Blackjack" brigade wounded, during brief remarks in front of the returning Soldiers and their families.
Lt. Michael Rash of Company D, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry, summed up many of the Soldiers' feelings when asked about his deployment: "It could have been better...but my guys got me through it...and we're home safe with our loved one. It's much better now."