Emotional homecoming for Valley soldiers

FRESNO, Calif.

A soldier from Selma got a hero's welcome from his wife and kids at FYI airport Friday.

23 other soldiers from the 1072nd Transportation Company with the Army National Guard arrived later Friday.

The company is part of the 30 thousand troops being withdrawn from Afghanistan.

They were sent in as part of the 2009 surge.

Sgt. Sergio Rubio lost his buddy during his third deployment overseas. He say's he's grateful to be back with his family.

"It's the hardest part doing all of this, there's a lot of danger out there, but there's nothing harder than leaving your kids, it's the hardest part of being a soldier," Sgt. Rubio said.

Sgt. Rubio says he's looking forward to spending time with his family and enjoying some local Valley food.

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