Grand Ledge — Hugs, laughs and tears were the top orders for members of a Michigan National Guard regiment who returned home Wednesday after spending about 10 months overseas in support of U.S. military operations.
The 68 returning soldiers, from the Michigan Army National Guard’s 3rd Battalion, 126th Infantry Regiment, arrived at the Grand Ledge Army Aviation Support Facility and Armory on Wednesday afternoon. There, they were received by 200 or so family members, friends and significant others who were eager to reunite with their long-absent loved ones.
Joel Vandermolen, captain of the regiment’s Alpha Company, said he felt a “wave of emotion” as they entered the building.
“I’m sure a lot of the guys behind me were tearing up and I saw families tearing up as well,” he said.
The soldiers made a dramatic entrance, marching in formation into the gymnasium-like facility as patriotic music and thunderous applause echoed off the walls. Following a few brief remarks from Guard leadership, family members and troops reunited in person for the first time in nearly a year, sharing kisses and posing for photos.
Some 126 soldiers with the 126th’s Alpha and Bravo companies left U.S. soil on July 14, 2025. Their work involved support missions for U.S. Central Command’s (CENTCOM) Operation Spartan Shield, the long-running operation in the Middle East.
Officials didn’t disclose details about the companies’ work there, but said it involved “security” missions, which are common for infantry, mostly in southwest Asia.
Another 58 soldiers from the regiment are still stationed there. Vandermolen said the remaining Michigan troops are expected to return “in the near future.”
For many of the returning soldiers, the first order of business is “to decompress, first of all, go back home, have a meal with the family,” said Vandermolen, who hails from Allendale.
“Anything to relax and stay away from work for a couple weeks or a month,” he said. “A lot of these guys have leave until mid-July, so they have plenty of time to rest and transition.”
His mother, Koryn Vandermolen, said the monthslong deployment has worn on servicemembers’ families.
“It’s hard,” she said. “A lot of praying and a lot of spending time with the rest of the family and just waiting for him.”
While the overseas deployment lasted 10 months, the troops’ time away from home has actually been much greater. The soldiers trained for their missions for about three years before ever deploying, including extended stays in Wisconsin, Louisiana and Texas. Vandermolen said they then had additional training once they arrived in the Middle East.
“These guys, when it came time to do their job, they were more than well-prepared,” said Vandermolen, who said there were no casualties among his company during their deployment.
The regiment originally expected to come home in March, but their deployment was extended. Brig. Gen. Ravindra Wagh, assistant adjutant general and commander of the Michigan National Guard, said the soldiers handled the adversity “and by all accounts acquitted themselves very well.”
The battalion is headquartered in Wyoming, Michigan, and totals 654 soldiers who live across the state, according to the 2025 Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs annual report.
“They live in Michigan. They serve in Michigan. These are your neighbors,” Wagh said. “A year ago we had soldiers that were assisting Up North in the ice storm. These soldiers got a different type of deployment. But as always, they answered the call. They answered it with grace, dignity, exceptionally well.”
mreinhart@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan National Guard troops return after 10 months overseas
Reporting by Max Reinhart, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
