More Iowa soldiers are coming home today, though with a mixture of relief and disappointment. About 200 members of the U-S Army Reserve’s 960th Quartermaster Company, based in Cedar Rapids, will be returning to two Iowa locations this afternoon after being mobilized on March 14th. Sergeant Christopher Larsen is spokesman for the Reserve in Iowa. The troops went to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri in mid-March and have been there since, preparing to go overseas. With the major combat in Iraq over though, Larsen says the Pentagon decided the unit’s services were not needed and they’ve been demobilized. They’re being brought back to Iowa from Missouri aboard a couple of buses.About 140 of the soldiers are expected to roll into Cedar Rapids about 5:30 while another 60 or so will be returning to their outfit in Sioux City at about the same time. Sergeant Larsen says the troops will be experiencing a rather “bitter-sweet” homecoming.He says they’ll be feeling relief to come home to their families and loved ones along with disappointment that they didn’t get to go overseas and perform their mission in that environment.
Iowa's Radio News Network
