FULTON – Despite every attempt by SSG Noel Wouldridge to wake his 6-year-old son, James, the kid wouldn’t stir.

It was late when Wouldridge stepped through the front door of his Fulton home for the first time in almost a year, and James was already deep in slumber. When Wouldridge left for his second tour of Iraq last May, James had been a squalling mess, red-eyed and wet-faced and begging his father not to leave.

Now, his dad couldn’t even wake him up to say “hello,” despite every attempt to shake, pat, pet and speak to his child. He would laugh about it the next day, but for the moment he just lifted his son’s dead weight into his arms and held him.

Finally, James awoke, his eyes widening as his vision fixed upon the sun-reddened face of his father.

“Daddy’s home,” he yelled.

Similar sentiments will likely be uttered across Itawamba County in the coming weeks as soldiers with Troop C, 1-98th Cavalry begin returning home from their nearly year-long deployment to Iraq.

According to Timothy Powell, director of public affairs for the Mississippi Army National Guard, soldiers will be trickling in to the United States and back home over the next couple of months.

Local soldiers who arrive in the United States must go through a five-day demobilization process before they can come home.

Wouldridge laughed and called the process an agonizing one – a lot of standing around and filling out paperwork when one just wants to get home to his or her family.

Although the specifics as to who is returning when is neither set in stone nor could be revealed even if it weren’t, Wouldridge said he believes that all soldiers should be home by the end of April, safe and sound.

Adam Armour can be reached at 862-3141, by e-mailing adam.armour@itawamba360.com or by visiting his blog at itawamba360.com.