Family members welcomed about 250 soldiers from the 48th Brigade home from Afghanistan this afternoon.
Family members greeted the troops with hugs and kisses just after 5:30 p.m. after a brief welcoming ceremony.
The returning soldiers marched across a field at Fort Stewart, then paused for the National Anthem, and then The Army Song.
Then hundreds of family members and soldiers rushed across the field for the emotional reunion.
The 48th Brigade is based in Macon, but includes units from around the state.
Stephanie Susskind tells us Governor Sonny Perdue greeted the soldiers when the landed.
Members of the 48th Brigade are returning from a year-long tour of duty in Afghanistan.
The first round of returning soldiers were welcomed home early Tuesday morning.
Perdue greeted the 250 National Guard troops on the tarmac after their plane landed Wednesday afternoon at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah.
The brigade deployed about 3,000 soldiers from across Georgia a year ago to train Afghan police and security forces. They've been returning home in waves since February.
Eight of the brigade's soldiers were killed during the
deployment and 49 others were wounded.
Col. Lee Durham, the brigade's commander, says about 20 of his soldiers remain overseas taking care of last-minute chores. He says they should be home in about a week.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.