About 250 Iowa Army National Guard soldiers returned home Saturday to cheering, smiling and tearful loved ones, following a yearlong deployment. Dual ceremonies in Des Moines and Fort Dodge honored the soldiers returning home. They included members from the 1st Battalion, 194th Field Artillery, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division. KCCI reports Gov. Kim Reynolds attended the ceremony at a hangar at Des Moines International Airport. She called ceremonies for returning service members one of her favorite parts of the job.

“On behalf of a grateful state, thank you for your service, for your selfless devotion to cause and country, for protecting the freedoms of your fellow Americans and for doing so with courage, honor and integrity,” she said.

Ninety-nine soldiers were on the flight that returned to Des Moines.