to emotional reunions with their families at Fort Drum early Saturday morning.
FORT DRUM, N.Y. - Christmas came a day late for hundreds of New York soldiers back home from a year-long tour in eastern Afghanistan.
More than 300 members of the 10th Mountain Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team were reunited with their families during a ceremony Saturday at upstate Fort Drum.
"Santa comes even if the soldiers are late," said Willy Williamson, who brought home cooking from Buffalo for his 24-year-old son, Sgt. Michael Williamson.
"He looks great," he said. "I'm very proud of him."
The soldiers were originally due back Christmas Eve and then Christmas Day - but the winter weather delayed their arrival until early Saturday.
Brigade Commander Col. David Haight said the troops were just glad to be home.
"As a brigade commander in the U.S. Army, there are many things I can control," he joked. "But I haven't quite figured out how to control the weather on the Eastern seaboard."
Some families simply postponed the holiday until they could be together.
"We're saving Christmas," said Amber Hamilton, 31, who was waiting with her two young children to see her fiance, First Sgt. Gonzalo Lassally. "They opened one present [on Christmas Day] from Santa Claus."
Others were celebrating Christmas twice.
"He wanted us to have Christmas," said Rebheka Moran, whose husband, Spec. Alain Moran, 42, had a ton of presents waiting for him at home.
"The whole tree is full," she said.
It was a tough deployment; the brigade lost 29 soldiers. And the Army base is about to say goodbye again as soldiers from the division's 1st Brigade head to Afghanistan next month as part of President Obama's troop buildup.
The 10th Mountain Division is the most heavily deployed unit in the Army's history.
That made Saturday all the more special for Herb and Myra Lloyd, who came all the way from Alabama to welcome home their 22-year-old daughter.
"I'm looking forward to just holding her and hugging her and to get to see her smiling face," her father said.
Maj. Jason Dempsey was reunited with his wife, Laura, and two kids, Mary Francis, 2, and Jack, 6.
Dempsey said he was looking forward to "just sitting on the couch."
But his son had other plans.
"We're going to play Wii all day!" he said.
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