FT. CAMPBELL, KY. – On Friday, several hundred friends and family members were in Fort Campbell to welcome home one of the first groups of soldiers returning from a year long deployment to Afghanistan.
The 275 soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team are the first of thousands of Ft. Campbell soldiers who will be returning over the next few months.
The soldiers returned home a few weeks earlier than originally planned.
Courtney Barnhill told Nashville's News 2 that she was shopping when her fiancé told her he would be returning home early.
"I was in the middle of Walmart shopping and I screamed at the top of my lungs," Barnhill said.
Jenny Clough was also excited to welcome her soldier home on Friday.
"I can't stand it I am so excited," Clough said.
Despite the cold weather conditions, Miranda Dunn anxiously awaited her husband's arrival.
"If there was snow on the ground, I would still be out here. He waited a year. It is worth every minute," Dunn said.
Soldiers were able to spend some time with friends and family members before returning to unit head quarters to check in weapons and other items.
More than 17,000 soldiers are scheduled to return home over the next few months.
