Soldiers Prepare To Be Home By Holidays

 It's the end of a exhausting few years for members of the National Guard from the Alleghenies. They faced fighting overseas and problems at home. Now, the National Guard is packing up across the war-torn country to home within weeks.


The president's announcement of full withdrawal from Iraq closes a challenging chapter for weekend warriors in central Pennsylvania.

Glenn Crozier, who months ago was surviving sand storms and manning a post, is now packing boxes.

"We seal it, we put our stamp on it. We're going to make sure everything goes nice and smooth from here back to the states," said Crozier.

Some U.S. contractors and some U.S. security will remain behind, but President Barack Obama's landmark announcement that the military is leaving Iraq by the holidays lifts the burden of a long, deadly war for the National Guard.

"Over the next two months, our troops, tens of thousands of them, will pack up their gear and board convoys for the journey home," said Obama.

These eight years took a remarkable toll on local guard members. Reports show 1 in 4 faced money problems, juggling jobs back home with long stretches of service overseas.

A Purdue University study said a larger percentage of National Guard members needed mental health training after deployment than did active-duty, full-time soldiers.