LANSING, Mich. – After nearly a year of service overseas, soldiers with the Michigan Army National Guard’s 272nd Regional Support Group returned home on Wednesday, reuniting with their families and loved ones in an emotional homecoming. The deployment, which included missions in Iraq and Kuwait in support of U.S. Central Command, had kept the soldiers separated from their families for almost 12 months.
For many, the return felt like both a brief moment and an eternity. Isabelle Swab, whose father had been deployed, described the waiting period as a paradox. “In a way, it was just like a blink of an eye, but at the same time it felt like an eternity,” Swab said, expressing the complex emotions of a year-long separation.
The final weeks of deployment were especially difficult for some families. Eva Snedden, whose husband was stationed overseas, shared that the last two weeks felt particularly grueling. “The last two weeks were the longest and the hardest,” she said, capturing the emotional weight many felt in the final stretch of their loved ones’ deployment.
Captain Daniel Sackmann, commander of the 272nd Regional Support Group, acknowledged the tremendous support from home that helped sustain the soldiers through the challenging months. “The support that we got from everybody the entire deployment, it’s mind-blowing,” he said. Sackmann specifically mentioned the hundreds of care packages that were sent to the soldiers, calling it “astronomical” in scale but a crucial part of maintaining morale. “It was what kept us going,” he added.
For the families who gathered to greet their loved ones, the reunion was a moment of immense joy and relief. The soldiers’ return marked the end of a year-long wait and the beginning of new chapters filled with celebration and togetherness.
