Soldiers with the 104th Transportation Company returned to Fort Benning’s Lawson Army Airfield Sunday after their 12-month deployment to Afghanistan.
“The 104th had a couple of various missions, but its primary mission was transportation " that’s transportation of all classes of supplies,” said Lt. Col. Anthony Bohn, commander of the 13th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion.
Other missions for the unit included training local Afghans in transportation operations and volunteering at schools.
A total of 168 Soldiers returned from the deployment. This was the company’s second deployment.
The 104th Transportation Company will be inactivated Sept. 15. The company falls under the 13th CSSB, which will also be inactivated in October.
For Tamieka Brown, this was her husband’s first deployment.
“It was hard in the beginning, but when he first came home for two weeks for his R&R;, it became easier,” she said.
“But I was crying for the (first) six months at work.”
Brown stayed supportive of her husband by sending him care packages and letters and using Skype to talk to him.
She said family members should understand the importance of supporting their Soldier during their deployment.
“They need those letters from you, those care packages,” Brown said. “They just need to know that they are missed. Sometimes that keeps them focused and on task.”
Staff Sgt. Terry Thomas was glad to be back home to see his three children. Thomas’ deployment with the unit was his seventh.
“It feels real good (to have) the chance to be home with my family " my kids,” he said. “They’ve grown real big now. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”
Thomas said he will be retiring soon and plans to take his family fishing.
Like Thomas, Karina Lujan’s husband, Staff Sgt. Jimmy Lujan, has deployed multiple times. This was his fourth deployment.
Karina said she didn’t watch the news while he was deployed and kept busy. To show support for her husband, she also talked to him on Skype as much as she could and sent him packages as well.
The couple has four children living in Arizona.
“I just flew down,” she said. “My kids don’t know daddy’s home, so we’re going to surprise them when we go back home.”
Karina says she hopes that the family can take a trip to Disney World.
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