Free Republic

Sixteen months ago, four Kerrville men said goodbye to their families at a ceremony in Fredericksburg and headed to the war in Iraq. Two weeks ago, their tour ended, and the guardsmen returned to Texas and the prospect of Christmas at home. Staff Sgt. Christopher Garcia and three colleagues from the Kerrville armory of the Texas Army National Guard — Sgt. David Geraets, Sgt. Jesse Menchaca and Pvt. Stephen Bell — were among the 3,000 guardsman deployed with the 56th Brigade Combat Team. Now back at home, Christopher and his wife, Eunice, have been settling back into family life in...

AUSTIN, Texas (Nov. 30, 2005) – Soldiers of the 56th Brigade Combat Team will receive their official welcome home at Baylor University’s Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco, Texas, on Saturday, Dec. 10, starting at 2:00 p.m. While the return of some units and rear detachments of the 56th BCT may be delayed until after Dec. 10, members of main body can anticipate reunion with their families and the demonstrated appreciation of a crowd that may exceed 30,000 well-wishers. Approximately 3,000 Soldiers comprise the brigade, which is part of the Texas National Guard’s 36th Infantry Division. Although headquartered in Fort Worth,...

<p>WACO, Texas — Not far from the ranch where President Bush is spending the holidays, the impact of the war in Iraq is being driven home in this city of 113,000.</p> <p>In the biggest single call-up of the Texas National Guard since World War II, 3,300 citizen-soldiers are preparing to ship out for a year of combat duty in Iraq, the largest contingent to date that the state has sent there.</p>