FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas – Some troops are home just in time for Thanksgiving after a deployment to Afghanistan.
The troops are part of the 440th Blood Support Detachment and on Monday, they were welcomed back in a special ceremony at Fort Sam Houston.
"I'm really happy that he's home," said Meagan Gohl, about her husband, Allen. "And to be honest, I'm just really overwhelmed."
Allen is one of 15 soldiers returning from their deployment in support of Operation: Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
Gohl said the detachment's primary job was to process and disperse blood to soldiers.
Many times, he said, they would have to respond to emergency situations.
"It was a thrill just knowing that it was our job to keep these soldiers alive," said Gohl.
In the nine months the troops were in Afghanistan, they processed more than 45,000 units of blood and blood components.
They also initiated a newly developed process where blood can be transfused to a patient while in flight.
That reduces the time between when a soldier is injured and when a transfusion can begin.
"I am beyond proud of what he does," said Meagan Gohl. "And I wouldn't change anything."