A rousing welcome greeted three bus loads of Army Reservists who returned today from duty in Iraq.

"This is the best one I've had," Master Sgt. Ricardo Saunders of Penn Hills said of the welcome. He just completed his second tour of duty in Iraq. The 18-year Army veteran also completed a tour in Afghanistan.

"It's good to see the American people still support the troops."

Friends and family roared as the troops filed into the auditorium of Moon Area High School for an official reception.

Brig. Gen. Gregory E. Couch, who commanded about 20,000 Reserve soldiers and airmen in Iraq, including about 100 deployed from the 316th Sustainment Command in Coraopolis, declared his troops' mission a success.

"My goal was to go in there and come out of Iraq without anybody knowing we were there," Gen. Couch said.

"Our success was that the corps didn't want for anything," he said. He explained part of the mission was to traverse the war zone while supplying everything "from beans to bullets," as well as logistical support.

The troops who came home today had been deployed to Iraq July 25.

First Published: July 1, 2008, 9:15 p.m.