Minnesota National Guard soldier home for joyful Christmas with family after deployment
LAKE ELMO, Minn. — This is a Christmas gift that's better than anything wrapped under the tree.
"I feel loved. I feel special," Lucas Miller said, wrapped in his father's arms. "I feel protected."
Major Tommy Miller is among the more than 550 Minnesota National Guard soldiers who returned home this month after a 10-month deployment in Kuwait. The soldiers from the 34th Infantry Division "Red Bulls" departed in February.
"I'm happier too," Miller's wife, Alex added. "Being a solo parent can get a little wearing. My mood has picked up, and the kids feel that too. We're all just happy again."
Officially, the deployed soldiers' mission in the Middle East was to train and support regional partners. The "War on Terror" might be over, but they were still in a rough neighborhood — and that was never more apparent than when Iran twice launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel. The U.S., Israel and other allies shot down almost all of them.
"I spent a lot of time on the deployment thinking about how I want to live when I come back from deployment," Major Miller explained. "I spent a lot of time reading development stuff, I spent a lot of time working out. Lot of time thinking, journaling and writing about the kind of father and husband I want to be to my kids. That's helped put things in perspective."
The 34th Infantry Division has deployed to Kuwait before, including in 2018-2019 in support of Operation Spartan Shield.
Minnesota National Guard soldiers were also deployed to Iraq from 2009 to 2010, leading the multi-national Division-South in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.