Freedom Salute Ceremony | Video

Alex Hagan | 1/13/2013

North Dakota National Guard soldiers were honored in Bismarck today. The men and women served in the first 112th aviation battalion on a year-long peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. The battalion returned to the U.S. in September. Today, friends, family and state leaders honored the soldiers and airmen in a Freedom Salute Ceremony.

Soldiers from the battalion say after spending a year overseas, they`re slowly adjusting to life back home. "Over in Kosovo, you got one mission. You do your mission, you go to work and you know you`re overseas, you`re away from the family so now to come back and be a dad again, be a husband, it`s a transition. It`s reintegration. It`s trying to get back into the normal routine of here," said Jason McEvers of the 1-112th Aviation Battalion.

"We`ve had 90 days now with our families and everybody is doing a great job, reintegrating and we`re ready to start our lives back here as North Dakota citizens again," said Lt. Col. William Watson of the 1-112th Aviation Battalion.

The first 112th battalion is made up of guardsmen from 15 cities around North Dakota.

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