Troops returning to E. Aurora this Friday

About 70 local National Guard soldiers from Charlie Troop 2-106th Cavalry Squadron will be returning from Afghanistan in the next few weeks, with the first wave of 16 soldiers arriving at the Army National Guard Armory at East Aurora High School at approximately 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 14.

After traveling from Kabul to Kuwait (with a stopover in Europe) and finally to Fort McCoy in west central Wisconsin, the first wave of troops will meet with their families at the armory from which they were deployed in August and September last year.

Police officers from Aurora and North Aurora, along with a motorcycle motorcade, will escort the soldiers' bus to the school after it exits the Reagan Memorial Tollway at Route 31. The city of Aurora has lined the route with American flags as a sign of thanks and to welcome the soldiers home.

Mayor Tom Weisner said the city is honored to play a small part in greeting the soldiers on the last leg of their journey. "These men were deployed overseas a year ago, and most of us can only imagine what it would be like to be away from our families and our homes for that long. I invite our citizens to take time out to welcome them home."

According to Becky Krause, the liaison between the military and Charlie Troop 2-106th Cavalry soldiers' families, the soldiers are members of three police mentor teams which trained the Afghan National Army and Police. They also were charged with conducting patrols and security missions.

Krause's husband, First Sgt. Steven Krause, is scheduled to come home later this month or in early September. After being welcomed as heroes in Aurora, they will return to their homes in a number of communities including Batavia, Oswego, Geneva, Yorkville, Naperville, Plainfield, Downers Grove, Lisle, Westmont, Bolingbrook and Itasca.

The public is invited to welcome the soldiers home. There will be a brief ceremony on the East Aurora football field located at 500 Tomcat Lane. Call (630) 264-INFO, the city of Aurora's Customer Service line, for information.

Krause said that once all three PMTs return, there will be a larger welcome home ceremony, called a "Freedom Salute," for the soldiers and their families