It was in the wee hours of Tuesday morning that a plane carrying dozens of Canadian soldiers touched down in Fredericton following a months-long trip to the Middle East.
Seventy soldiers, 52 stationed at Base Gagetown, arrived to the warm and welcoming embrace of their loved ones.
The soldiers have been in Lebanon and Jordan since November helping to process the thousands of Syrian refugees destined for Canada.
One soldier in particular, Private Chris Chabaylo, had a surprise for his then girlfriend Courtney Halfpenny that he sprung on her during a media interview.
Chabaylo, from Alberta, proposed to Courtney who responded “yes, of course!”
Major Drew Willis, with daughter Victoria in a tight embrace, says all you have to see is the face of one child to know it’s the right thing to do.
“You’ve got a family that wants the best for their children and so we have the opportunity to help them lead a better life,” Willis said.
After an emotional return this morning, the 52 soldiers at Gagetown are going to be enjoying some much-deserved time off with their families. They’ll be given a leave of approximately one month.
WATCH: The first wave of troops involved in the resettling of Syrian refugees into Canada returned from the Middle East to CFB Gagetown Tuesday. Global’s Andrew Cromwell was there for the emotional reunion and for one awaiting loved one, a big surprise.
It will be a time to celebrate Christmas and relax for Corporal Thomas Fitzpatrick who worked behind the scenes, but still heard stories of appreciation.
“I know a lot of people seen a lot of smiles and heard a lot of sentiments that were all positive, happy to be coming to Canada,” he said.
For some of these soldiers, there’s even the chance they could wind up living in the same town as a refugee family they helped get to Canada. Warrant Officer Stephen Mills and his wife Wendy live just outside Fredericton, one of the destination cities for refugees.
“So maybe I’ll even see the ones I helped process, it’s quite possible.”
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