Howard Lake cheers motorcade of home-bound area soldiers after tour in Iraq

Two busloads of Army National Guardsmen and women in the 849 Mobile Augmentation Company returned home from Iraq Wednesday via local fire department escorts through Wright County towns.

The Howard Lake Fire Department escorted the motorcade through town as two blocks lined with Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Middle School students cheered them on. Business owners and residents also lined the streets of Howard Lake to greet the soldiers.

After a one year deployment, the unit landed on American soil at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin April 25, according to Zana Miller of Cokato whose son Tom is one of the returning soldiers. He is a 2001 graduate of HLWW High School.

Michelle Hofer of Howard Lake took her children out of school to welcome the troops. “These are all local soldiers,” Hofer said. “There’s not just one hero, they’re all heroes.” Hofer was pleasantly surprised to see area residents lining the sidewalks of Highway 12 in Howard Lake, especially since there wasn’t much notice about the motorcade. “Oh my gosh, look at all the flags coming out. I’ve got goose bumps,” Hofer said.