Fort Riley ? Pride, relief and joy were evident Sunday as family and friends greeted about 150 soldiers returning to Fort Riley from Iraq.

Brig. Gen. Frank G. Helmick, the 24th Infantry Division’s assistant division commander for maneuver, and other Fort Riley officials welcomed home the nearly 100 members of the 82nd air ambulance unit and about 50 members of the Army National Guard’s 205th Area Support Medical Battalion based in Kansas City, Mo.

The 82nd Medical Company was the first Fort Riley unit to return from the war. The post has sent about 5,000 active-duty soldiers to the combat area.

Army Spc. James Ledford, sporting an ear-to-ear smile, said, “I’m happy to be home. There are a lot of other guys over there who won’t have this chance.”

Ledford was met by his entire immediate family, including his mother, Patsy, and father, James, who had come from Levington, N.M., to welcome their son home after his four months of service.

The elder Ledford found it difficult to contain the pride he said he felt in his son’s service in Iraq. “We’re just real proud of him,” he said several times.

Patsy Ledford described the four-month deployment — the unit left the fort Feb. 16 — as “bad.” She watched television news constantly, she said, hoping to get a glimpse of her son, to no avail.

The family eased the strain of being separated by writing letters and sending Ledford many packages. The soldier and his wife of 1 1/2 years, Linda, sometimes talked on the phone, but she said that didn’t make the separation any easier.

Staff Sgt. Robert Wallace kisses his 4-year-old son, T'abren, after arriving at Fort Riley. T'abren Wallace was wearing a replica of his father's Army uniform Sunday. The 82nd Medical Company was the first Fort Riley unit to return from the war. The post has sent about 5,000 active-duty soldiers to the combat area.

“Four months in Iraq isn’t like spending a week in the field,” she said. This was the longest time the two have been apart since they were married.

Sharon Balle, an accountant in Manhattan, has been through several separations from her fiance, Capt. Brian Stogdill, a helicopter pilot. They’ve been together for four years and have been engaged for the past year, and each homecoming evokes the same emotions, Balle said.

“I’m always nervous, excited,” she said. “We haven’t seen each other in a long time.”

Twelve members of the 82nd Medical Company remain in Iraq continuing the unit’s air ambulance mission, said the commander, Maj. James Swartz. Swartz said the company performed admirably, transporting more than 500 patients ranging from U.S. and coalition soldiers to young children and the elderly.

The environment caused the helicopter crews the most difficulty, Swartz said. The dust and sandstorms were hard on the helicopters and flying was difficult at night with no light.

Even so, “We never dropped a mission, we didn’t lose a soldier,” Swartz said, adding, “We are truly blessed to come home this early.”