MELROSE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Hundreds of Massachusetts' National Guard troops were welcomed back from Washington D.C. Saturday by local residents cheering and waving flags.
Despite freezing temperatures Saturday night, dozens of people lined up along West Wyoming Ave. and Main Street holding American flags and home-made 'Welcome Home' signs, as buses carrying the troops arrived at the Melrose Armory.
Gov. Baker had sent 500 members of the state's National Guard to the Capitol last week, to help guard against any potential violence during President Joe Biden's inauguration.
Members of the 182nd infantry unit from Massachusetts were specifically assigned to protect the Capitol building.
The welcome-home party clapped and thanked the troops as they grabbed their gear and went inside the Melrose Armory to be tested for COVID-19, before getting in their cars and driving home to their families.
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Written by Brit Smith
(Photo: Suzanne Sausville/Twitter)