Brigade returns from Afghanistan

Salt Lake International Airport security workers tried desperately to bring some kind of order to the baggage terminal Wednesday as spouses, parents and lots of small children waited eagerly for their soldiers to return.

The task became even more difficult as banners were unfurled and anticipation mounted. Some members of the Utah National Guard's 300th Military Intelligence Brigade had been away from home as long as 18 months.

"Brendan has been jumping up and down all day ready to go get Daddy," Kellie Boyd said of the 4-year-old, who waited at the airport with a smile on his face.

Sage Watson, who waited in the terminal with her 3-year-old daughter, said the anticipation was overwhelming.

But the buildup didn't last long. One group let out a cheer, quickly followed by another, and the brief sense of order achieved by security was lost as the camo-clad soldiers were met by their families.

The 300th Military Intelligence Brigade was home.

Sgt. Justin Stokes, a Brigham Young University student who served 18 months, including more than a year in Afghanistan, hugged his mother, kissed his wife of six years and held his 2-year-old in his arms.

Stokes and his 16 fellow soldiers spent the year as part of a tactical human intelligence team in Afghanistan. The assignment came as a surprise to the unit of linguists, who had no training in the covert operations.

But according to their commanding officers, they didn't let that stop them.

"They were barely trained in their intelligence job," said Col. Mark Ainscough, a former commander of the unit before they were deployed. "It's a testament to the military training procedures that they were able to immediately implement their training on the ground."

The unit received training for about six months in the United States before being deployed to Afghanistan. And according to Lt. Shawn Boyd, who served as operational management team chief for the brigade, the training stood them in good stead.

"They did fantastic," Boyd said. "When they went in, they had absolutely no experience at all. But they exceeded everyone's expectations by miles. They filled the shoes of the active duty group they replaced with no drop-off at all."

Proud of his soldiers, Ainscough went around and quietly congratulated many of them.

"Job well done," he whispered briefly to one soldier. "Welcome home."

The soldiers are looking at getting on with life now that they are back at home. Stokes said he plans to go back to BYU, where he is working on a degree in Korean.

Surrounded by his wife and children, Stokes said he is also ready to get back to being a family man. And go to Disneyland, he said.

E-mail: dhinckley@desnews.com

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