Rachel Hoffman/St. Joe Now

Friends and family members wait patiently Friday afternoon for the return of several airmen and soldiers coming home from Afghanistan.

A special group of airmen and soldiers returned Friday to Rosecrans Memorial Airport after a year on the ground in and around Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

The 10 airmen and two Missouri Army National Guard soldiers were part of Missouri’s second joint Army and Air Guard agribusiness team.

“You’re all heroes who had the guts to stand up for your country,” said Col. Michael McEnulty, the Wing commander.

“We were part of the security team watching the group’s back while they were conducting their business,” said Staff Sgt. Rick Robison, a member of the 139th Security Forces Squadron.

Gov. Jay Nixon and Missouri’s Adjutant General Steve Danner welcomed the entire agribusiness team back to the state in a ceremony held at the state Capitol building earlier Friday.

“It was definitely tough saying goodbye to my buddies after having served jointly for a year,” said Sgt. Anthony Udovich, a member of the Army Guard’s 1438th Combat Engineer Company who lives in Trenton, where he works as a freelance artist.

Shortly after 12:40 p.m. Friday, Mr. McEnulty flew a C-130 transport carrying the 12 men in low from the east toward Rosecrans. The aircraft roared up Avenue A as about 200 men and women from the Wing and 75 family members cheered for their returning heroes. The aircraft flew west across the main runway before executing a banking turn to the north so the pilot could line up and land the plane.

The dozen soldiers stepped off the plane, walked over and hugged loved ones before they all walked east on Avenue A. The veterans and their loved ones proceeded through a loudly applauding group of service members that lined both sides of the avenue to the base aerospace dining facility.

Brig. Gen. Bradley Pray, deputy director of air, space and information operations for the Air Mobility Command, told the audience that every family member served, just as their service member had done.

Family members were also thanked by Lori Burns, the commander of Post 287 in Savannah. Mrs. Burns also brought yellow roses for the returning troops to give to loved ones.

One 2-year-old girl was thrilled to be carried by her daddy. Ella Robison had been only 1½ when she last saw her father. The computer had been the only way the two could talk.

At one point, she tried to feed her dad grapes through that computer, her father said. The good thing was it made her mother laugh, Mr. Robison said.

After about 10 minutes in the dining facility, listening to the officers and saying goodbyes, the families got to take their heroes home for a weekend of activities.

As Veterans Day approaches, the governor reminded Missouri residents that they should remember that a third agribusiness team is now on the ground, working in Afghanistan for another year.

Marshall White can be reached

at marshall@npgco.com.