It was a small ceremony, but its implications were large.

"You are combat veterans, and that is something very special," said Col. George Abbot, commander, 96th Troop Command. "But more important, we are here to help you."

On hand for the Freedom Salute Ceremony at the Tacoma Armory Aug. 7 to honor the 741st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion, Washington Army National Guard, Abbot paid tribute to the sacrifices families have made.

"We've come so far in the last 10 years; it is almost second nature for us to expect to deploy. The success for our missions lies with the families."

To that end, WANG has worked hard to ensure that its members successfully reintegrate into society once they return from a deployment.

"There was a learning curve at first," commented Suzane Potts, whose husband, Maj. Leo Potts, had deployed to Afghanistan. "Overall, the guard has been successful in helping its redeployed soldiers with medical care, PTSD issues and job counseling."

The 133rd U.S. Army Band's Brass Quintet provided the music, and the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps honor guard from Lakes High School expertly handled the colors.

Deployed to eastern Afghanistan from April 2009 to February 2010, the 36 soldiers comprising the 741st EOD Battalion distinguished themselves as a Counter Improvised Explosive Device force. Tasked to integrate into Combined Joint Task Force Paladin in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the battalion provided command and control to all Paladin assets located at more than 20 forward operating bases across Regional Command East.

"There are 10 EOD battalions in the Army," pointed out Lt. Col. Brennan Phillips, 741st commander. "We did not just fill in; we stood head and shoulders over all other battalions in meeting the threat."

During the 741st's tour, it conducted over 2,500 CIED combat missions, defeated more than 1,570 IED missions, discovered 160 weapons caches, supported over 1,180 Route Clearance Patrols, evacuated over 30,000 items of intelligence in eight airlift missions, and aided in the removal of more than 50 insurgents from the battlefield.

But the focus of the ceremony centered on the families and the issues they face.

"This ceremony is a part of the support redeploying guardsmen are receiving," said Maj. Mark Slevin. "Since we've been back, we have experienced a great deal of support - job placement, medical, dental, whatever is needed - to help us reintegrate. There is a huge amount of support."