Maryland Troops Get Official Welcome Home

Before stepping aboard the military transport flight in Kandahar in late May, Maryland Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Luis Benitez Jr. turned around for one last glimpse of Afghanistan: mountains in the background, clear skies and a line of troops walking toward the plane, smiles all around.

"All those smiling faces — that was a nice feeling," said Benitez, a 30-year-old mechanic from Aberdeen who boarded the plane that day with more than 150 other members of the 1229th Transportation Company, wrapping up nearly a year in Afghanistan spent repairing vehicles, and moving equipment and supplies all over the country.

They carried out 55 separate operations, shuttling equipment into, out of and around the country, more than 23,000 tons of trucks and supplies constantly on the move.

There were no casualties during the 11-month deployment, said Col. Charles S. Kohler, a Maryland National Guard spokesman.

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