Soldiers returning from Kuwait to Louisiana get heartfelt homecoming
MINDEN, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Camp Minden welcomed soldiers home after they served in Kuwait for several months.
The Haughton Police Department joined with other agencies, including State Police, Camp Minden Police, and the Webster Parish Sheriff's Office, to create a warm welcome for soldiers returning to Louisiana from months deployed in the Middle East.
Most importantly, soldiers were cheered on by their families and loved ones, holding signs excited that their troops were home safely.
"I'm so excited I could just shout. He's been gone for like 10 months, and we are so, so excited to have him home. We don't even know how to act," said Nancy James along with her husband and daughter welcoming home Sgt. Ardarius James.
Nancy said months away from her son were challenging, but she looked to God for strength.
"I had a lot of moments I was kind of having breakdowns or whatever, but I always trust in God that he will be able to bring me through all this," she said. "All of this to today. So yes, that's all you have to do is trust in God that he can carry you through whatever you have to go through; he will do it for you."
Sgt. James hugged his family and said he looked forward to eating good food.
"I'm just happy, happy to be home," he said. "It was a long ten months but, you know it was fun I met a lot of people, we did a lot of great things for our country, but I'm glad to be home to my family."
Officer Patrick Edmonds with the Haughton Police Department said the event was overwhelming. He said he felt a wave of emotions seeing people reunite with family and felt the same way after serving in the National Guard.
"We stayed a total of 11-12 months." Edmonds said. "That's without kissing them, hugging them. Without feeding them breakfast in the morning, simple stuff. Coming back seeing your family is very emotional. You get overwhelmed sometimes."
Garyiel Hayes still had a four-hour journey back to Baton Rouge to surprise her family, who thought she was coming back in July.
"My mom is going to cry her eyes out," Hayes said. "I'm going to cry too. I was already crying seeing other people with their families like it was so touching, it was so beautiful."
Like many soldiers, Hayes says the experience changed her for the better. She met new people and began her own personal journey with God.
"We go through a lot during those nine months," she said. "We have to like continue our mission even when we feel down, and it's hard to do that sometimes. It was a long nine months."
The sergeant says she is not done yet, as she will be traveling to Poland in 2025 for another nine-month deployment. For now, she is just looking forward to getting home.