OWOSSO, MI (AP)-- Family and friends have welcomed home 153 Michigan National Guard members with hugs and kisses at a ceremony in Owosso.
The soldiers who returned Thursday are members of the 144th Military Police Company. The homecoming event took place in the morning at Owosso High School.
The unit members now go back to homes around the state after spending nine months in Afghanistan.
Capt. John Van Dusen of L'Anse says his 3-year-old son James was "barely talking" when Van Dusen deployed. Now, the captain says James "talks all the time, so that'll be a big adjustment."
MLive.com reports that the unit's duties in Afghanistan included base security, Afghan police mentoring and protection of generals, Defense Department officials and other visitors.
