TUPELO – After more than 50 men passed by and several minutes of unbearable anticipation, Sheila Scott’s worried stare turned into rejoicing shouts.

“I see him, there he is holding the flag,” she shouted to her family as Jason Carnathan finally made his exit from the plane and re-entered the lives of his family.

Carnathan was one of 59 soldiers from Troop A, 1st Squadron, 230th Cavalry Regiment who made it home from Iraq on Saturday after being deployed for more than a year. Family and friends greeted the soldiers when they landed at the Tupelo Regional Airport.

His wife Ashley, daughter Ally, 7, and stepfather Johnnie made up the welcoming committee.

“It feels good to be home and to see all these people here to welcome us,” said Carnathan as he held on to his children. “I’ve missed my family and they’ve missed me. It’s just good to be home.”

Carnathan and his family are from Saltillo.

The men walked into a sea of waving American Flags, ear-shattering cheers and loving tears.

“I’ve missed him so much,” Ashley Carnathan said. “We all have. We’re just glad he’s home now.”

Adam Crayton and Nathan Ingle also were at the airport waiting to see the familiar face of their friend, Sgt. Charles Michael Hodges.

“We’ve been waiting for this day and wouldn’t have missed it for anything,” said Ingle.

While the unit was deployed in Iraq, Sgt. Michael Walden was one of the soldiers who stayed behind to make sure everything ran smoothly. He said seeing his friends step off that plane after being gone for so long was a huge relief.

While serving in Iraq, Troop A flew reconnaissance missions using OH-58D Kiowa helicopters.

Contact Danza Johnson at (662) 678-1583 or danza.johnson@djournal.com.