Some Fort Hood families have something extra to be thankful for this year.
According to First Cavalry Division officials, nearly 900 soldiers returned home on Wednesday just in time for Thanksgiving.
These soldiers received a warm welcome home during three separate homecoming ceremonies held in their honor.
Among the crowd were Army spouses like Kristi Forbes.
She was there to pick up her husband, Maj. Brett Forbes, with their two children Tanner and Kenzi.
"I feel like I drank a lot of coffee today, I'm excited, really excited," she said.
Armed with their homemade signs, her children, five and three-years-old, waited patiently in front of First Cavalry Division Headquarters for the buses to arrive.
"It almost brings me to tears at how thankful we are to have him home the day before Thanksgiving," Kristi said."It is a blessing, a real blessing for us and our family."
According to the Public Affairs Office, these soldiers were returning home after completing a 12 month deployment to Iraq.
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Homecoming
A soldier reunites with his family after being away for a year.
 
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Their job was to train Iraqi forces.
For Maj. Brett Forbes, this was his second deployment, which did not make it any easier.
"It's much harder this time with two kids," he said."Last time I deployed we didn't have children, and actually my son was born while we were deployed."
However, he says keeping in contact with his family through email and Skype made it a less difficult.
Although that cannot replace the little things he has missed while he was deployed.
"Just by looking at them, her hair has grown another foot, and he is reading now." Brett said."Just lots of those little changes that you don't know, I'll learn over the next month I'm sure."
First Cavalry Division officials say this group is just part of the 16,000 soldiers expected to return home in the next couple of months.
The first group came home on Nov. 10.
The last group is scheduled to come home in February.
