One of 113 Schofield Barracks soldiers to return from Iraq, Sledge, 30, gave up her M-249 machine gun and had it replaced by a bouquet of flowers.

"It is wonderful. It is the best feeling in the world," she said of being back in Hawai'i.

A year is a long time to be away, and it brought a sense of getting reacquainted.

"Mommy, guess how old I am — 7," said daughter Chatae.

It also brought changes.

"Your teeth grew back!" Sledge exclaimed, seeing her daughter's two front adult teeth.

Spc. Donny Difatta, left, and Spc. Eric Shockey of the 40th Quartermaster Company, are welcomed home by Difatta's nephew and niece, Bryan and Lianna Ronk. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

The return of 100 soldiers with the 40th Quartermaster Company and 13 with the 84th Engineer Battalion signaled the start of the long road home for Hawai'i-based service members in a year that has seen one deployment after another to Iraq and Afghanistan.

At least 13,500 are deployed, with more than 2,500 Hawai'i National Guard soldiers and reservists preparing for an Iraq mission.

The 40th is the first unit to return from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom since the 25th Infantry Division (Light) left early this year on its first combat deployment since the Vietnam War. Others will soon follow.

With the band playing the theme song to "Rocky," the soldiers yesterday marched four abreast into a hangar at Wheeler beneath a banner that read: "Welcome Home Heroes of the 25th ID(L) and USARHAW."

Col. Michael McBride, commander of U.S. Army, Hawai'i, told the soldiers, "This is an important day for us, this is an important day for the division ... You are all heroes and our nation is grateful."

The soldiers convoyed from Camp Stryker near Baghdad International Airport to Kuwait, and then flew 31 hours with stops in Ireland, New York and California before arriving at Hickam Air Force Base.

It was the first time they didn't have body armor and a weapon close at hand.

"It kind of feels strange right now. I feel too light," said 40th commander Capt. Jerry LaCross. "I'll get used to it quickly, I'm sure."

LaCross, 36, who took command of the unit in August, said the soldiers "did what I asked of them and did it well. They never failed."

Mortars and rockets occasionally would fall on or near Camp Stryker — typical attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq. A few 40th soldiers were injured in a roadside bomb attack, and at least one received shrapnel lacerations.

"A couple went back to duty, a couple re-deployed back to Hawai'i and are OK now," LaCross said.

LaCross, from Alabama, said the soldiers felt what they did was worthwhile.

"Overall, they were happy to be there and do their part," he said. "I'm sure there were days obviously they wished they weren't there, but overall, I think they were happy to be there."

Reuniting with family brings its own challenges after being away so long. There's a lot of catching up.

Three days off will be followed by some counseling and administrative duties, and then the soldiers will have another three to four weeks off.

LaCross' wife, Ashli, said, "We're doing Christmas again today. The children want to celebrate everything he missed."

That means wearing Halloween costumes while opening Christmas presents while eating Thanksgiving dinner and having birthday cake for dessert.

Sgt. Raynard Freitas, 28, a mechanic with the 40th who grew up in Wai'anae, said being away from family for a year was the hardest part.

Before the soldiers' arrival, Michelle Sartain nervously waited for her husband, Sgt. Christopher Sartain, with the 8-month-old son he had never held.

"It's kind of like going out on a first date and meeting him again," she said.