The windswept tarmac at the Otis Air National Guard Base pulses with anticipation.

“I’m beyond words. It’s been a long year,” says Wareham resident Nicole DiPasquale.  Nicole, an Army Staff Sergeant, and her children are part of a dense crowd on May 13, awaiting the charter jet scheduled to land, bringing approximately 160 of their fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, of the 3^rd Battalion, 126^th Aviation Regiment of the Massachusetts Army National Guard home from Kuwait after a year-long deployment. At least seven of the soldiers are from Wareham.

The regiment provided aviation support to a variety of missions including senior leadership transportation and battlefield circulation throughout the Iraqi theater.  Fortunately, the deployment proved safe and relatively uneventful with no serious injuries or deaths among the soldiers of the 126^th.

The press of children and families moves closer to the flight line while a pair of young female soldiers attempt to hold the crowd back until the plane lands. The crowd packs together, shoulder-to-shoulder, holding banners welcoming family members home, waving American flags, and wearing camouflage or Army-emblazoned jackets. Anxiety, anticipation and relief wash over the faces of the adults while bliss, giddiness and, in some cases, tears cross the children’s faces.

“We matched today. It’s how we roll,” DiPasquale says pointing to her daughter Maggie, 7, wearing the same black and white spotted dress as her mother. DiPasquale’s 9-year old son, Anthony, like most of the children in the crowd, is becoming increasingly agitated waiting for the plane to land.  A full ninth of his life just passed without his father, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Joseph DiPasquale, a maintenance test pilot with the 126^th.

“You think it’s bad for you? You have one, I have 167,” says Tammy DeBonise, the commander’s assistant to DiPascale.  DeBonise, a former Wareham resident, has served with the unit as a civilian for 25 years. “This is the fourth deployment I’ve been through with these guys. They leave me quite a bit,” DeBonise says as someone from the crowd shouts that a plane is coming down onto the runway.

The crowd erupts into a raucous cheer at the first glimpse of the jet. Hitting the runway and then disappearing behind the tree line, it feels as if an eternity passes before the jet turns around and comes to a stop outside the hangar where the eager families await.

The cheering becomes deafening as the door swings open and a stream of soldiers hurries out of the plane, down the steps, and onto the tarmac into a chaotic tangle of hugging families and crying spouses.

In the midst of the melee of families, Sgt. Dan Thibodeau of Wareham, an automated logistical specialist with the 126^th and 11-year member of the Army National Guard, tearfully reunites with his girlfriend, Jeanine Dornbush, with a powerful hug.

“You’re not going anywhere for a while,” Dornbush tells him.

The soldiers have been told that once they exit the plane they are released to their families. Their ordeal is over.

A formal welcome ceremony is slated to be announced after the soldiers have had time to adjust to life back home.

“There’s a lot I need to do," said Thibodeau. "New grill, new phone. A lot of running around."