<p>TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. - After an emotional homecoming, the first wave of Marines to return to this desert base from combat missions in Iraq now face the difficult challenge of readjusting to life stateside.</p>
<p>A group of 69 troops were greeted by tears and embraces from some 200 relatives and friends Saturday night after a 40-hour trek from the Middle East. The soldiers, most of them deployed since January, were the first of 1,500 Marines expected to return to Twentynine Palms this week.</p>