Daily Herald editorial

The arrival of about three-dozen members of the 1135th Transportation Company at the Austin Armory, home from Iraq and Kuwait where they took part in Operation New Dawn, was a welcome and heart-warming event. Anytime men and women who volunteer to serve the nation abroad return home safely it’s a cause for celebration.

Local troops went overseas to help wind down the United States’ presence in Iraq, the end of our decade-long combat presence that began with the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. The soldiers’ return from hazard marked not only an ending for their company’s latest deployment but an end to a war that had dragged on far longer than anyone expected — making Tuesday’s occasion particularly special.

Words can not express the gratitude that the nation, most of which was largely untouched by the war in Iraq, owes to the soldiers who served there. They made significant sacrifices — and in many cases will continue to do so as they readjust to life back home — so that most Americans needed to make none.

Austin welcomes the members of the 1135th back home.