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  • Minnesota National Guard Red Bull 34th Infantry Division soldier Dana Schiller is mobbed by his daughters (clockwise from back left) Sara, 9; Autumn, 5; Jadin, 11; and Malina, 6 after his return from the Middle East Friday at the Mankato National Guard Armory. Pat Christman

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  • Tyler Harmon, 11, struggles to lift a backpack worn by his father, Red Bull 34th Infantry Division soldier Andrew Harmon (backround) after returning to Mankato from the Middle East Friday. Pat Christman

    Red Bull return2_5-5.jpg

May 4, 2012

More soldiers return to more happy families

By Brian Ojanpa Free Press Staff Writer

MANKATO — This welcome home celebration Friday night for returning Red Bulls was an inside job. A hard rain saw to that.

About three dozen Minnesota National Guard soldiers returned home from the Middle East to what by now has become a familiar sight:  Families and friends armed with balloons, little American flags and cameras.

The chant “Where’s the bus” went up inside the dry Mankato Armory as a large garage door opened. Moments later a motor coach pulled up and the crowd surged to meet troops that have spent the past nine months in Kuwait.

Gordon Tate of St. Peter and his kin were sporting specially made T-shirts for the occasion.

Tate’s grandsons, Erik Hansen and Jake Tate, are members of the Red Bull 34th Infantry Division. According to the elder Tate, they’ve been spending the better part of the past year “pulling up, closing down and decontaminating things” as part of the final drawdown of the Iraq War.

Nearby, Josh Oanes of Fairmont was hugging family members. Oanes just completed his third and final tour of duty and was glad to be home.

What’s the first thing you want to do, Josh?

Long pause.

OK, what’s the second thing you want to do?

“Just spend time with my family,” he said safely.

His sister Christina ran up to give him a hug. She’s done one Middle East Guard tour herself.

She said her brother doesn’t have a job waiting for him, but joshed that Josh has plans.

“He’s going to move to the Cities and be a hooligan.”

More than 220 returning soldiers from the 34th Red Bull Division were dispersed at armories throughout Minnesota Friday, representing the ninth wave of Red Bull returnees from the Middle East.

The group that returned to Mankato was the final one to do so.   

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