Holiday Homecoming Comes To An End For Troops

A holiday homecoming came to an end on Tuesday.  Members of the 45th Infantry Brigade spent the past ten days with their families all across Oklahoma.  The News On 6's Chris Wright reports more than 2,000 Oklahoma troops will return to Texas on Wednesday morning and many say it will not be easy to get on that bus.

On December 23rd, members of the 45th and their families were overjoyed when the unit returned to Green Country.  After spending two months training at Fort Bliss in Texas, Operation Holiday Homecoming raised $600,000 to bring the troops home in time for Christmas, but there will be a more somber scene Wednesday morning when the 45th's leave ends.

"It's been exciting, I don't want him to go.  It's going to be really hard," said Ashley Airvett.

Ashley Airvett says she has barely left her husband's side over the past week and a half.  Private Jeremy Airvett has enjoyed the time off, saying it was exactly what he needed before heading to Iraq for the first time.

"I've really enjoyed being back home, spend time with our family, seeing my little Katie and my wife. It's been really enjoyable," said Private Airvett.

The Airvetts say their daughter Katie is too young to understand where her father is going, or why he is leaving for ten months.

"She just knows that he's going away and he'll be back, he always comes back," said Ashley Airvett.

As for how they would spend their last night, the family did not have anything special planned.  Of course, they were going to spend it together, along with the family dog and take advantage of every last minute of this holiday homecoming.

"I don't even know if we're going to go to bed tonight.  Might just pull an all-nighter. He can sleep on the bus," said Ashley Airvett.

Ashley Airvett will actually have to say goodbye to two family members.  Her brother Russell Stevenson is also a member of the 45th.  She says it's tough, but it's also comforting to know that they will be watching each other's back during their stint in Iraq.