About 170 members of the 109th Aviation Unit, Company D, of the Iowa National Guard based in Boone were welcomed home Tuesday. Ron Dardis, the commanding general of the Iowa Guard was one of the speakers to welcome them home. He says it is good to finally start welcoming back units instead of sending them off. Dardis says there are still 3000 Iowa guard soldiers on active duty in the war on terrorism. The soldiers in the 109th Aviation Unit had been on active duty nearly two years. Dardis visited the soldiers a couple of times during their deployment, and Dardis says they are each heroes in his eyes. Dardis says the soldiers exemplified what the Iowa Guard is about. “You represented the Iowa team and the Iowa Guard in an outstanding manner,” Dardis said. “I say thanks for your committment, your dedication and your willingness to serve…Welcome home, soldiers.”