100 And Counting..... 100 Dixie Thunder Troops on MS Soil!

HATTIESBURG — Especially for the occasion, Brandy Quick chose to wear a black shirt with the words "Daddy's Girl" in sparkly pink lettering.Brandy's father, Staff Sgt. Joseph Quick, was among the first group of Mississippi troops who returned home Saturday after nearly a year in Iraq. His absence was difficult for the family from Edinburg, but it proved that Brandy's mother, Angie, was tougher than everyone thought."I installed a toilet all by myself," Angie Quick said.The 155th Brigade Combat Team, which includes the 106th Support Battalion, arrived at Camp Shelby at about 9 p.m. Saturday. Other units will arrive periodically now through the middle of January.Many of the approximately 100 returning soldiers are from the Starkville area and other parts of north Mississippi. While family members excitedly waited for their soldiers, sons and daughters held welcome back signs while parents and sisters paced, their faces full of anticipation.
SGT. 1st Class Phillip Mosley of Meridian was the second one off the plane as members of the 155th Brigade arrived Saturday in Gulfport.
Nine-year-old Briana Errington of Monticello held a red and white sign that read "We Love You!" as she waited for her father, Sgt. Clint Errington."I just want him to get here," she said.Many of the soldiers haven't been home to see what damage Hurricane Katrina left. Stacy Feazell of Lawrence County, whose husband is 1st Sgt. Curtis Feazell, said she was without power for two weeks. She got by with the help and support of her family, she said.
"Having him come home is the best Christmas present ever," said Stacy Feazell's sister-in-law, Tammy Feazell.By the time the two charter buses pulled up, families and friends cheered and clapped for their soldiers.
Briana Errington and her mother, Angela, began crying even before the buses came to a stop. The tears soon gave way to smiles as Clint Errington held his daughter tightly."It's a great feeling to be back," he said. "You don't realize what you have until you've been away, and we take a lot of things for granted."The United States is a great place."