Chadron-area citizens lined the streets and then packed the Chadron High School Auditorium Sunday to formally welcome home more than a dozen area soldiers from a year in Iraq.

The members of the Chadron-based Nebraska Army National Guard 10-57th Transportation Company returned last month after serving as part of the North Platte-based 10-74th Transportation Company.

They were joined in the parade by other members of the 10-57th, other veterans, community members, local organizations, and the Chadron Fire Department.

Those attending the program that followed at the high school got a taste of what the troops experienced through a multi-media presentation that followed them from their departure from Nebraska, through three months of training in Mississippi, then their service in Iraq.

One member of the 10-74th from McCook was killed by a roadside bomb during the deployment and others were injured. Some of those images were included in the presentation, as were pictures of damaged and destroyed vehicles along with photos showing dust and smoke from explosion not far away.

The program also included patriotic numbers from the high school music department, greetings from a variety of dignitaries or their representatives, and introductions of the newly-returned Guard members as well as others from the 10-57th.