Read more: Local, Military, Military
Members of the 759th Military Police Battalion returned to the mountain post Monday.
They had been deployed for more than a year in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, providing security and helping to train Iraqi police forces.
The soldiers deployed for what they thought would be a twelve month tour, but that was later stretched to fifteen months.
Capt. Mike DuCharme said, "It's tough but there's not much option at that point so you know what you've got to do and you just keep driving on after that."
The unit lost 27 soldiers. Nearly 100 soldiers returned to Fort Carson.
DuCharme said, "Fifteen months away from your family is... It's just incredible to be back with my family. It's what every soldier in this unit misses more than anything else."
As Thanksgiving approaches, several organizations provide easy ways to say "thank you."
At www.LetsSayThanks.com (sponsored by Xerox), visitors can create personalized post cards for soldiers overseas. Xerox will then print and ship them for free.
At www.CellPhonesForSoldiers.com, visitors can donate international calling cards or donate old cell phones for recycling.
At www.CitizenSoldierConnection.org, based in Colorado Springs, families can adopt local soldiers to host for a Thanksgiving meal.
Web surfers can find many other sites offering thanks, support and assistance to the troops.
