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National Guard Troops Return To SoCal After Yearlong Tour In Iraq

LOS ALAMITOS (CBS) — Cheering family and friends greeted around 300 members of the California National Guard on Monday as they returned home from a yearlong deployment to Iraq.

The 1-140th Aviation Battalion arrived at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base after providing aviation support and backing U.S. troop withdrawal in central Iraq.

"I don't know if I can use the right words. It feels really wonderful," guard member Kevin Keim told KCAL9.

Relatives of the guard members waved flags and toted signs welcoming loved ones home.

"We left home a year ago," Keim told Channel 9. "We've been in Iraq, where our battalion was spread over three different locations.

Keim said the missions included "flying utility helicopters, air assault missions, general VIP missions and support".

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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