
Brand new yellow ribbons line the streets of Spearfish as a sign that the 842nd Engineer Company is coming home. "We've been counting down the days from day one," Rosie Heinert said. Her husband is with the 842nd. She's hoping the yellow ribbons, tied on Thursday, show him and the other 161 members how much they're appreciated and missed. "We're hanging yellow ribbons to let people know that they're coming home soon," She said.
That time couldn't come soon enough. Heinert and other loved ones left behind say it's been a tough year. "Toughest part for me is that we have two boys and for me as a mother and a wife it's been difficult trying to explain to the boys that Dad's not going to be home for an entire year," she said.
There is no doubt that 842nd members miss home, but they've been hard at work building roads, maintaining infrastructure as well as other goodwill projects. They're Difficult tasks that make for an even sweeter return. "Just proud of our troops and ready for the 842nd to be home," Pam Merrell, the mother of a deployed soldier said.
Their exact arrival date is still a mystery, but we're told it will be in the next two to three weeks.
There will be a welcome home parade in Spearfish when they return.