A one year deployment in Afghanistan has ended for three local soldiers and about 100 others. Sgt. 1st Class Ken Solorzano of Alna, Pvt. Nick Greenleaf of Boothbay and Pvt. Mason Leighton of Boothbay were welcomed back home June 15 at the Maine Army National Guard Flight Facility in Bangor.

The soldiers are a part of the Maine Army National Guard 488th Military Police Unit. The unit was in Afghanistan for nine months doing security force operations.

A few hundred family members and friends gathered inside a hangar at the facility. They held homemade signs, waved small American flags, and were dressed in patriotic gear. A few people had cardboard cutouts of soldiers.

Some people had been waiting at the facility for hours while others made it in right before the soldiers arrived. Refreshments were available, but people were more concerned about standing in a spot as close to where the troops would enter as possible. Guard members on hand had to remind people to stay behind the roped off area.

When the soldiers first arrived, there was a large applause from inside the facility. A small opening in a hangar inside the facility allowed some people to duck down and take some pictures of passing soldiers.

Gov. Paul LePage was in attendance and spoke to the soldiers right before they entered the hangar. The troops waited in a hallway behind two closed doors.

The crowd was told to start clapping again; and after a few seconds the troops came bursting out of the two hallway doors. They were greeted with a standing ovation that lasted over a minute.

“It was the greatest feeling ever,” Greenleaf said about walking into the facility. “It really didn’t hit me that I was home until I saw my family and friends waiting for me. It was a very exciting moment.”

After the soldiers stood at attention, an officer dismissed them. Then all the family and friends mixed in with the soldiers instantly. Some people were laughing and joking with the troops while others were crying.

One solider got to hold his child for the first time. Greenleaf’s father, Peter, was glad to see his son return home safely. “I have missed my son and am proud of what he has done,” he said. “It’s been a very long year for the family.”

Leighton said he is the same person as when he left, but Greenleaf thought he did change. “I feel like over the course of this year I am now a much more mature person,” Greenleaf said.

Besides missing friends and loved ones, Greenleaf knew what he missed the most. “I really missed just being in Maine. It’s the greatest state in the greatest country.”

“I really missed the fresh air and the weather here in Maine,” Leighton said.

The future in store for every soldier is different. Some have families to take care of and others have different career paths in mind.

“I’ll see what happens,” Greenleaf said. “I might go active duty again in a few years when given the opportunity.

“Right now I’m just happy to be back home safe and see familiar faces.”