SALT LAKE CITY — Parents Michele and Mark Hoferitza hadn’t seen their youngest daughter, Megan, for nearly a year.
Megan is one of 130 Utah Army National Guard soldiers who returned home to Utah on Tuesday from deployment in Djibouti and East Africa.
The soldiers, who are part of the Utah National Guard’s 204th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, were set to arrive shortly after Christmas but instead returned just in time for the holidays.
“Originally, we didn’t even know she was coming back today,” Michele said. “We thought it might not be until after Christmas.”
Inside the Roland Wright Air Base, families sat on folding chairs while they held signs and checked their watches.
The Hoferitzas were the first family to show up.
“She sent me a video of a mom and daughter seeing each other and hugging and she’s all, ‘This is gonna be us,’ and I’m like, 'I can’t wait,” Michele said through tears.
Families waited anxiously for the soldiers to walk out from their airplane.
“It’s so surreal being home,” Megan said. “It’s amazing to be home in a familiar place where I know I’m safe. It’s just, I missed home.”
