COLORADO SPRINGS — The Fort Carson unit that has served the longest in Iraq returned Monday after a 15-month deployment.
The 759th Military Police Battalion had been in Baghdad since August 2006, completing more than 18,000 combat patrols and training hundreds of Iraqi police.
The battalion of 250 soldiers lost six of its own.
“It feels so good to be home,” said Sgt. Wallace Sims as he hugged his wife, son and daughter during the homecoming ceremony at the base south of Colorado Springs.
The battalion initially was sent to Iraq for 12 months but got caught up in Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ plan to lengthen soldiers’ deployments by three months.
Sgt. Maj. Gary Fowler said he has been sent to war zones five times, including Iraq during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. This was his longest deployment.
“When the plane was landing, there was a big cheer,” Fowler said.
