Family and friends wave and cheer as 102 soldiers from the Nevada Army National Guard's Company D, 113th Aviation Company arrive Saturday at the Stead Army Aviation Support Facility after more than a year of training and deployment to Afghanistan. Photo by The Associated Press.

STEAD -- More than 300 family members cheered Saturday when the doors to an aviation hangar opened, bringing into sight 102 returning members of Company D, 113th Aviation Company after more than a year in Afghanistan.

Then it was a rush as mothers embraced sons, husbands and wives hugged and children were lifted high overhead by some of the returning Nevada Army National Guard soldiers.

There were tears and smiles.

Pvt. Steven Snyder of Reno picked up his 6-month-old niece Mckenzie, who he had never seen before. But first his mother, June, gave him a hug as tears streamed from her eyes.

"It's indescribable," Pvt. Steven Snyder said of the reunion. "It's the greatest feeling in the world. I'm going to spend some time with my family, go back to school and get back my life."

Snyder said spending the last few days in Fort Lewis, Wash., before returning home by charter flight on Saturday was difficult. "My heart was jumping out of my chest," he said.

Elsewhere in the hangar at the State Army Aviation Support Facility, Sgt. Epifanio Rodarte of Fernley was talking quietly with his wife, Jessica, who had brought their three children, Tony, Chloe and Lili, to welcome him home.

"It feels great, wonderful to be back," he said.

The company, which operated heavy-duty CH-47 Chinook helicopters at Kandahar, Afghanistan, was gone for 14 months, including training before deployment. Their mission was to ferry supplies and transport troops in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

While it was a happy occasion for most, the company took a moment to remember five soldiers, including two from Nevada, killed when their helicopter was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade.

At ceremonies attended by Adjutant General Cynthia Kirkland, Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., and Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt, representing Nevada on behalf of Gov. Kenny Guinn, there was a moment of silence for the crew of Mustang 22, shot down Sept. 25 after dropping off troops.

Nevada guard members killed in the incident were Chief Warrant Officer John Flynn of Sparks and Sgt. Patrick Stewart of Fernley.

Roberta Stewart, whose husband was killed, said the reunion was an emotional moment for her.

"It's a little hard today," she said. "It was a very close unit. I wish it was all of them coming home."

Stewart has asked the Department of Veterans Affairs to authorize the use of the pentacle, a five-pointed star, in its cemeteries so her husband's plaque can be installed at the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery. Stewart said she was told Friday that agency officials would not act on the request.

"Nobody wants to make the decision," she said. "I was really hoping for an answer on Friday. I would love to lay my husband to rest."

Stewart is a Wiccan, a group of religious practitioners who are also referred to as nature religious practitioners. Their beliefs date back to before Christianity and focus on the natural world. Many of their observances fall around specific times of the year, such as the summer and winter solstices.

Roberta Stewart said she will not install the plaque until the Wiccan religious symbol is authorized as an "emblem of belief" at veterans cemeteries. The symbol must be approved by the veterans agency.

At the reunion ceremony, Stewart had a petition to send to President Bush and James Nicholson, secretary of Veterans Affairs. It already had been signed by more than 200 people.

Gibbons said he will meet soon with a Veterans Affairs official to try to get the issue resolved.

"We should never discriminate against anyone who has given his life for this country, regardless of what their religious background might be," he said. "I think it does a tremendous disservice to every serviceman out there."

The families were nervous while waiting for the reunion.

One anxious spouse wore a shirt that said: "Packages sent once a week 'over there': $1,000. Phone cards so you can hear his voice: $400. A homecoming outfit: $125. Seeing your husband for the first time in months: Priceless."

U.S. flags and welcome home posters were everywhere.

Before seeing her husband, Jessica Rodarte said she worried about him every day.

"He kept me in the dark," she said. "He didn't want me to worry."

Rodarte said the family was going to sit down to a big home-cooked meal.

June Snyder could barely wait to see her son.

"My emotions are all wrapped up after 15 months," she said. "We did lose five of our soldiers, and my heart goes out to their families. I thank God every day the Lord didn't want my son yet."