Local soldiers home from Afghanistan

Thousands of soldiers from the Georgia National Guard’s 48th Brigade returned home from Afghanistan in the past few weeks, with all of them expected to be home by the end of April.Superior court judge Carolyn Williams and her family celebrated her son’s return Easter Sunday with a huge dinner, yellow bows on the trees leading up to the house and a ‘Welcome Home’ sign on the fence.’The 48th Brigade are a good group of guys. Part of me was really honored and the mom part of me was really worried,’ she said. ‘I think it is the greatest thing you can do to fight for our country. He’s done really great and I really am proud of him.’Pike County resident 1st Sg. Richard Todd has been in the Army National Guard for 32 years. His wife Libby Todd said there are day-to-day challenges while a loved one is overseas serving in the military.’This is our third mobilization and deployment so this isn’t new territory for us. It still remains very difficult,’ she said.First Sgt. Todd was deployed to Iraq and received the Bronze Star and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge for his service there. He was deployed to Afghanistan with the rest of the 48th Brigade in April 2009.’There were many close calls in Iraq but the mission to Afghanistan was a much different type of mission. His job in Afghanistan was to manage and support soldiers and make sure they were trained and equipped for the mission,’ Libby Todd said. ‘He’s most proud of the fact he brought home all of his platoon in Iraq and all of his company in Afghanistan.’SSGT Stefan Huckaby returned home April 10 from his service with the 48th Brigade in Afghanistan. He is the son of Robert and Bonnie Huckaby of Meansville and a 1985 graduate of Pike County High School.