Southern Illinois Welcomes Home the 661st Engineers

A hundred signs and a thousand voices welcomed home the 130 members of the Illinois National Guard 661st engineers Wednesday at Sparta High School, a welcome home celebration moved from the armory because of threatening skies.

During its 10-month mission, the 661st completed 20 construction projects, provided mine clearance and repaired 14 craters along Afghan highways. The 661st trained more than 100 Afghan National Army Soldiers and assisted in the recovery of a crashed C-17 airplane.

Brig. Gen. Johnny R. Miller, assistant adjutant general of the Illinois National Guard, thanked the soldiers for a job well done.

"Most importantly, every soldier who went on this mission is coming home," said Miller.