Georgia National Guard Soldiers home in time for Christmas

Georgia National Guard soldiers return from Afghanistan deployment in time for holidays
Associated Press
By Russ Bynum
Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014

RUSS BYNUM/ASSOCIATED PRESS Staff Sgt. Christopher Reynolds of the Georgia National Guard hugs his wife, Colleen Reynolds, at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, after returning from Afghanistan.

The Georgia National Guard said this is the first holiday season since 9/11 that none of its units will be deployed, though about 40 individual soldiers remain overseas assisting units from other states. Georgia began sending its citizen-soldiers to Afghanistan in November 2001.

SAVANNAH, Ga. — Chief Warrant Officer 4 Duane Sandbothe returned from a deployment to Afghanistan on Thursday with plans to keep his holiday homecoming a secret from his 8-year-old son for a full week. “He’s supposed to ask Santa Claus to get me home for Christmas,” said Sandbothe, 41, of Savannah, after his parents and other family members greeted him at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah. They plan to help him lay low until he can surprise his son.

Sandbothe was among 61 citizen-soldiers of the Georgia National Guard coming back from a 10-month deployment exactly a week before Christmas. Another 60 members – the 1st Battalion, 169th General Support Aviation Battalion – were headed home to Alabama, which shares the unit’s B Company with Georgia. read more here