Thousands turn out to welcome home troops

Ninety-one-year old Margaret Byles has never missed an opportunity to welcome
Brisbane soldiers home from war and was at the front of the crowd for their parade
through the city on Saturday.
Mrs Byles served in the women's auxiliary in World War II and one of her four sons
is also a former Defence Force soldier.
The sprightly grandmother stood tall and proud as she waved her Australian flag and
a banner that read "you've done us proud".
"I come to every welcome home parade in Brisbane," she told AAP.
"I love the parades and cheering all the boys because they make me so proud to be
Australian."
It was a sentiment shared by an estimated 15,000 people who lined the streets of
Brisbane on Saturday to welcome home 2,500 troops from the 7th Brigade who served in
Afghanistan, East Timor and Iraq.
Young children waved flags and held banners that said "Welcome Home".
Five-year-old Harrison Goedings draped himself in an Australian flag as he waited to
wave and cheer on his biggest hero - his soldier father, Neil.
"I'm proud of my dad and I'm glad he's home," Harrison said.
In a poignant reminder of the realities of war, six riderless horses in the parade
symbolised each soldier who was killed during their tour of duty in Afghanistan this
year.
Each had boots reversed in the stirrups beneath a caparison - an ornamental covering
on the saddle.
A handful of soldiers who were injured in Afghanistan this year were driven in army
trucks or pushed in wheelchairs through the parade.
Brigade Commander Brigadier Paul McLachlan told reporters the public turnout "took
his breath away.
"We knew we would get a lot of support from the families involved, but just to see
10 to 15 thousand people from Brisbane and southeast Queensland lining the
streets... I have to say it brought a lump to a lot of our throats," he said.
"We know we are very well supported by all the people but you don't often get an
opportunity to see that reflected."
Brig McLachlan said their focus was now on helping the troops re-adjust to life now
they have returned home to Australia.
"We are having a few issues, it has been a difficult deployment for the Mentoring
Task Force 1," Brig McLachlan said.
"We are an army who have been doing this for quite a bit of time now and we are
learning a whole lot of lessons about how to bring people back into western
civilisation again.
"It's difficult, it's hard and there will be a few bumps along the way but we will
stand by our troops and look after them."
The parade included vintage and current military vehicles and artillery, four bands
and uniforms dating to the Boer War.



------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This email is intended for the use of the addressee only. If you receive this email
in error, please delete it immediately. This email may contain information which is
confidential and/or legally privileged. You must not use or disclose the contents of
this email, or add the sender's email address to any database, list or mailing list
unless you are expressly authorised to do so. The statements or views expressed in
this email are those of the individual sender and are not those of Australian
Associated Press Pty Ltd (AAP). These statements are not binding on AAP, except
where the sender expressly and with authority, states them to be. AAP is unable to
review the contents of all the email on its system. To the extent permitted by law,
AAP disclaims all liability for any loss or damage caused by the contents of this
email. www.aap.com.au