Mason City, IA- It may seem like an ordinary day to you. But for many in our area, it's a day worth celebrating. Soldiers with the Mason City-based 1133rd Iowa Army National Guard Unit are back. Wednesday they got the welcome home ceremony.
Family, friends and community members gathered at the All Seasons Building at the North Iowa Fairgrounds. The soldiers arrived right around noon to cheers, tears, signs and lots of smiles.
Mom and wife Tara Stangel, and three kids Talia, Tucker and Tyson have been waiting anxiously for dad and husband Rob to return from serving overseas. He and the rest of the 1133rd, including the 1168th from central Iowa, combined as the 3368th. Together they performed hundreds of missions in Iraq and Kuwait.
The Stangel family, along with lots of others, waited through a brief ceremony. It included comments from Mason City Mayor Roger Bang and the head of the Iowa Army National Guard, Brigadier General Timothy Orr. He says it's "mission accomplished".
All are thanking each and every one of the men and women for what's being described as successful transportation missions. And finally, it's 'dismissed'.
After an emotional reunion, Rob Stangel says he feels, "Nothing but happiness. I love them and missed them a lot."
Tara is wasting no time getting Rob back into the swing of what's soon going to be his new normal. It all started with tying Tucker's shoelaces.
"The job starts now!"
Rob laughs when he thinks about the unfinished projects he has at home. But it all doesn't really matter. He's where he wants to be.
"You know, there's no way to describe how good it really feels. It's really great, great being back."
