Nearly 200 soldiers of the 475th Quartermaster Company are happy to be home, and feel lucky to have left Iraq when they did.

	John Beale, Post-Gazette Patty Beck weeps with joy as she welcomes home her son, Army Specialist Jason Beck of Chicora. Click photo for larger image. Related stories Shiite pullback seen as positive sign Iraqi security efforts fall short Funerals held for two Western Pa. soldiers killed in Iraq

The reserve unit returned to the reserve center in Beaver yesterday in two chartered buses, preceded by the Blackhawk High School marching band, police cars with flashing lights and fire engines with sirens blaring.

They were greeted in a driving rain by hundreds of friends and family who were waving flags and cheering.

The soldiers left Iraq April 2, just before units scheduled to go home began to be "locked down" -- departures put on hold -- because of the escalating violence in Iraq.

On March 31, four civilian contractors were murdered and their bodies mutilated in Fallujah, a city in the "Sunni triangle" about 90 miles west of Baghdad. The following weekend, supporters of the militant Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr launched a revolt in Baghdad and several southern Iraqi cities.

"Wow, I feel real lucky to be here," said Spc. Tairay Nickens, 25, of Carnegie. "A couple of days after we left, they put everybody on hold because of what was going on in Fallujah."

Service in Iraq was hot, exhausting and frustrating, said Nickens, a student at Community College of Allegheny County in civilian life. But the welcome made it all worthwhile, she said.

	John Beale, Post-Gazette The family of Army Sgt. Justin Houk of Butler wait to greet the reservist yesterday on his return home from deployment Iraq. Click photo for larger image.

"The real reward is when you come back and see everybody who supports you," Nickens said.

"Thank God we made it," said Sgt. Eric Miller, 25, a firefighter for the city of East Liverpool, Ohio. "I was worried about having been trapped there [by the lock down order]."

"I'm grateful that we got our chance to come home," said Spc. Christina Wilhelm, 21, of Pittsburgh. "I don't ever want to go back there again."

But Spc. Chris Barczak, 23, of Johnstown, an engineering student at the University of Pittsburgh, said: "If they want me to go back, I would. We're all part of a big [Army] family. We're all in this together."

And Spc. Jonathan Merrill, 25, of Youngstown, Ohio, said: "I kind of wish I were still over there."

John Beale, Post-Gazette Kristie Nych, 9, shields herself from pouring rain as she waits for her brother, Army reservist Nathan Nych. Click photo for larger image.

His attitude was not shared by his fiancee, Katie Greenslade, 23. They were engaged a month before the 475th shipped out.

They plan to get married Oct. 23.

"Life can go back to normal now," Greenslade said.

The 188 soldiers of the 475th, a part of the Coraopolis-based 99th Regional Readiness Command, were based in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. Their mission was to supply bulk fuel to the vehicles of the 4th Infantry Division.

The 475th suffered no casualties from hostile fire, but one soldier was injured in a fall. He is recovering.

"It was our fuel in the vehicles that captured Saddam Hussein," said the acting commander of the unit, Lt. Eric Gass, 38, of Irwin.

Gass, who was executive officer of the company for most of the deployment, took three weeks off from refueling duties to teach sniper techniques to soldiers of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, based along the Syrian border.

Gass said he was happy to be home, but sad to leave Iraq.

"Our brothers and sisters are still there," he said.