Dozens of Connecticut National Guard soldiers were welcomed home after being deployed overseas.
The headquarters company 1-169th Aviation Regiment served an almost one-year deployment in Kosovo as part of NATO's KFOR mission. It's an international effort that's been underway for more than 20 years to maintain safety in Kosovo.
It was the first deployment for two members we spoke with.
"Learning the Kosovo culture was awesome. Working with the locals as well, it was overall, a great experience," said Ekaterina Kazachkova, CT National Guard specialist.
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"It’s just getting back into the swing of things, spending time with family, and take some trips and just enjoy being home," said Sean McKenna, 2nd Lieutenant of the CT National Guard.
The more than 50 soldiers returned to Connecticut two months ago and have been readjusting to their civilian routines before Saturday's ceremony.
While they were overseas, they also helped fight wildfires in Kosovo, and some of the guardsmen connected with students they taught English to during their last deployment.
