Welcome home, Marines: 'It's been too long'
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- Local Marines returned home after serving a 6-month deployment in Afghanistan.
Engineer Company A from Springfield was welcomed by family, friends and loved ones at the Springfield Armed Forces Reserve Center on Wednesday.
"I feel like we’ve been waiting for so long, it doesn’t even seem like he’s coming home. None of us know how to react," said Kayla Caylor. She hasn't seen her brother Derek in over 7 months.
Thirty-one Marines returned home.
Hope Barton was anxious to finally reunite with her husband Ryan. "We’re just ready for him to be home. All of them," she said.
It was hard for Barton to hold back tears. "I'm just really excited to see him. It's so hard not to cry," Barton said.
When the moment finally came, the Marines were happy to be home.
"It feels amazing. It was the best feeling in the world. All I did was think about was thinking about them when I was over there," said Marine Derek Caylor.
Marine Andrew Clark got to hold his baby daughter for the first time since she was born. "It's been too long," Clark said.
