Fort Sill welcomed back 43 soldiers of Alpha Battery, 3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery at a homecoming ceremony Friday.

"You had a tough fight in a tough part of the world, and I've got to tell you: Commander, you ought to be proud of yourself. You took them through a hard fight, and you brought every one of them back, and that is impressive," said Maj. Gen. Mark McDonald, commanding general of Fort Sill and the Fires Center of Excellence.

He thanked them for their leadership, for being great soldiers and for their service to their country.

"Many of you, it's your first deployment. Now you're a combat veteran. You joined the ranks of some very famous people, like those people back there in the green shirts, our Vietnam vets," McDonald said.

"It is with great humility and deep pride that we stand before the soldiers of Task Force Assassin," Lt. Col. Steven Carpenter, commander of 3-13 FA, said. "While deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, these soldiers provided security to coalition leaders, to include the 1st Infantry Division commander, the commander of ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) and even the president of the United States.

"They partnered with the Afghan National Security Forces, and they supported the government of Afghanistan by securing its people, doing their part to provide the citizens of Afghanistan with the opportunities they would have never had under Taliban rule.

"Assassin soldiers, you've been the tip of the spear for the Red Dragons and the Diamond Brigade. Thank you for what you have done for your nation, and thank you for what you continue to do for your Army," Carpenter said.

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