MADISON, Wis. -- A warm welcome home ceremony was held Thursday afternoon for a group of area soldiers returning from a year spent serving Afghanistan.

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The soldiers call operations in Afghanistan "the forgotten war," but an emotional homecoming on Thursday showed that they haven't been forgotten by their families or the state.

Thirty members of the 232nd Military Intelligence Company of the Wisconsin Army National Guard landed at Truax Field shortly after noon on Thursday.

Gov. Jim Doyle and guard brass were on hand as well as a military band, but it was all just a prelude to the real celebration.

As friends and family of the soldiers waited for their arrival they said they were nervous, anxious and excited about seeing their loved ones.

Courtney Wallestad said she was waiting to see her brother.

"Justin Wallestad, and I am psyched. I've been waiting for this since he was born," Wallestad said.

Wallestad was anxious to show her brother her newborn son, Hunter. She said this wait was easier than the one she went through before.

"Actually it's easier than when he left. When he left was the hardest because you never know if they're going to come back," Wallestad said.

"I'm a little overwhelmed, definitely. It's nice to see everyone, my new nephew, Hunter. It's crazy," said Justin Wallestad.

But after serving 14 months in Afghanistan, members of the unit arrived back home safely and were greeted at home with cheers, whistles and hugs.

They returned on Thursday for the second time in recent years. After serving in 2003, they were ordered back to active duty around Halloween 2005 and deployed for Afghanistan in February 2006.

Mark Gaikowski hugged his crying wife and two children on Thursday and said they helped him get through his mission.

"They're always there for me, so I couldn't have made it without them," Gaikowski said.

His two daughters said they were very happy to have their Dad back.

Sgt. Darrell Scace said he's happy to be back and that he missed his family.

"Fourteen months is a long time. It feels great; my youngest daughter was 10 days old when I left, so I missed a lot of that. So there's a lot of catching up to do," Scace said.

Solder and military intelligence analyst Jeremy Lopez said that he feels the war in Afghanistan is forgotten and overshadowed constantly by Iraq. He said soldiers are doing good work there.

Lopez said that seeing his relatives is the best thing about being home.

"To see my family, I mean that's the best part," he said.

Lopez said he was leaving just as his brother came home from a year and a half in Iraq. Both returned uninjured.

"As a single mom, it's really hard when you raise your kids. And I'm just happy they both are home," said Rochelle Lopez, Jeremy's mother.

Rochelle Lopez said her sons served tours one right after the other and that this is the first time the family has been together in about four years. She said they were planning on celebrating Christmas together.

About 120 Wisconsin solders in Afghanistan are scheduled to come home by the end of February, according to the Wisconsin National Guard.

Roughly 600 Wisconsin troops remain in Iraq and Kuwait.