About 500 more soldiers from the Wisconsin National Guard's 32nd Infantry came home Wednesday.

The troops are back from their year-long deployment in Iraq.
Reporter Martha Boehm was at Camp Douglas and met a couple families from Black River Falls who welcomed their soldiers home.

For 3-year-old Grace Pastorius, 15 minutes was a long time to wait to see her dad again.

Grace's mother Lisa has been holding down the fort at home with her other two daughters Kenna and Jacelynn while her husband Rodney was in Iraq with the Wisconsin National Guard.

Grace and Lisa couldn't contain their excitement when they saw Rodney from afar.

Pastorius from Black River Falls is one of about 500 soldiers returning from war. This is his second deployment.

Rodney Pastorius says "every time you go something new is going on in your life where you gotta leave that behind."

When he left Grace was still in diapers.

Pastorius says, "missing her and missing the rest of my family…i just can't explain it."

Denise Eddy's son is back from Iraq, "wanted to keep him. I just didn't want to let him go. You're afraid all the time."

But the mom from Black River Falls says the fear has now been replaced with happiness, "I've held my breathe for a year and now I can breathe."

Jackson Burgau says was overwhelmed at the homecoming, "it's all kinda hard to put together right now still. After being gone for so long it almost doesn't feel real. I'm sure it'll sink in after awhile."

The troops will have a few days of demobilization before they are officially released from active duty. Chippewa Falls and Onalaska troops will return home early Friday morning.