Sgt. Maj. David Turnbull began roll call, with the terse, barked responses from the paratroopers of the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division echoing throughout Sullivan Arena. Then the responses stopped.

The darkened arena went silent as 53 names were called off unanswered.

Those soldiers never made it back from Iraq.

The rest of the 4th Brigade began rolling in from their deployment to the war zone in November, with the last of them stepping off the freedom bird Saturday.

To welcome them home and honor the dead, about 4,500 soldiers, families and local dignitaries packed Sullivan Arena on Wednesday afternoon to officially receive the brigade back from its 14-month deployment.

A sea of soldiers in camouflage fatigues lined the bleachers of the building, watching as the families of the fallen got bouquets of red roses and the brigade unfurled its colors, to signify its return.

"We are pausing in a very public and deliberate way to mark the end of a successful combat mission," said Maj. Gen. Stephen Layfield, commander of U.S. Army Alaska, headquartered at Fort Rich. "We are pausing in a deliberate way to honor the fallen and their families."

About 3,500 4th Brigade soldiers deployed to Iraq in October 2006. In Wednesday's ceremony, brimming with pomp, pageantry and tears, officials honored the soldiers who didn't make it back along with those that did.

"You are true heroes. Well done, and welcome home," Gov. Sarah Palin said, receiving a boisterous applause.

Beginning today, soldiers will be taking 30 days of leave to unwind.

The homecoming will require some adjustment for most soldiers. For Sgt. Seth Alderman and his wife, Jacquie, it means getting used to living together again.

Alderman got back Nov. 11, almost a year since he last saw his wife and two children while on leave in December 2006. The homecoming was a little nerve-wracking, he said, but it didn't take long for them to get used to each other again.

"I'm used to him being gone a lot, but it's nice having help with the kids," Jacquie said. "I'm just glad he's back."

For others, coming home and getting back to life as usual requires a more deliberate effort.

Staff Sgt. Nicholas McCoy was on a foot patrol with his unit on the streets of Iskandariya, Iraq, a year ago today when a roadside bomb exploded, leaving six soldiers injured and one dead.

He lived, but his legs were severed below his knees.

McCoy, 24, has spent the past year rehabilitating in Texas, where he just got finished with another surgery and has been fitted with prosthetics that will hopefully have him walking again by March, he said.

"It's been a long road, you know," he said. "Just over this past month I've finally been making huge improvements. I'm starting to get a lot stronger now."

The hardest thing McCoy has had to do: Come back and see his unit.

He wasn't sure what to expect. But the "Spartans," as the brigade's soldiers are called, have made him feel at home. In Iraq, his unit became like family to him, he said, and making the trip up from San Antonio this week to be with the soldiers was something he needed to do.

"Fourteen months ago they were different people," brigade commander Col. Michael Garrett said to the crowd. "They had each other to depend on for the last 14 months, and every single one of them has lost a friend."

Toward the end of the hourlong ceremony, as Turnbull finished his roll call, a seven-man rifle detail fired off a 21-gun salute in the fallen soldiers' honor, followed by the somber braying of a lone trumpet playing taps.

In the VIP section on the arena floor, the families of those who had been killed began to cry, wiping tears from their eyes with tissues as they leaned on and hugged each other.

From his wheelchair, McCoy offered a misty-eyed salute toward the empty boots laid out on the arena floor.

Find James Halpin online at adn.com/contact/jhalpin or call him at 257-4589. TIMELINE

2005

April

Army officials announce an existing battalion at Fort Richardson will add enough additional soldiers to swell it to an airborne brigade, the Army's first new airborne brigade in two decades. This is a young brigade; most rank- and-file soldiers are in their late teens and early 20s. The base installs 129 temporary buildings to accommodate them; 76 are six-soldier barracks.

2006

September 27

Deployment day arrives. The brigade's mission is to "work by, with and through Iraqi Security Forces to patrol streets, look for roadside bombs and battle insurgents" in southern Iraq, allowing for a security transition in Babil and Karbala provinces, and assistance as needed in Najaf province.

December 7

The first brigade deaths occur when two paratroopers are killed by a roadside bomb. Just three days later, three more die in a roadside explosion.

2007

January 27

The deadliest day to date for the brigade, when eight brigade paratroopers die in two unrelated incidents. Four die in an ambush in Karbala, south of Baghdad when a militia group posing as U.S. and Iraqi soldiers in a convoy of SUVs goes through several checkpoints before attacking soldiers with grenades and small arms. In the second incident, four more Fort Richardson soldiers die near Karmah in Anbar province, when their armored vehicle is struck by a roadside bomb.

April 11

The military extends deployments to 15 months, meaning the brigade won't be home in late September or October, as planned.

June, July

Three members of a sniper unit in the brigade are charged with various counts of premeditated murder and "wrongfully placing weapons" near bodies. Two cases resolve with acquittals on murder charges, but the soldiers are found guilty of other offenses. The third case is pending.

November, December

The first wave of returning troops arrive home in early November, and the last of 16 flights bring home the final troops in mid-December.

CASUALTIES AND INJURIES

Soldiers lost: 53Soldiers injured: 345

WHAT'S NEXT

After today's "Welcome Home" ceremony, most troops will depart on a one-month-long "block leave" for rest and relaxation. In late January, they'll resume duty at Fort Rich -- at least through the conclusion of the brigade's first "three-year life cycle," which ends in May.

Soldiers with longer enlistments or those who re-enlisted will remain with the brigade, and new soldiers will begin to arrive at mid-year, 2008.

The earliest the 4th Brigade could be redeployed to Iraq is December 2008. The Pentagon may decide to have the brigade's second generation train together a full 12 months, meaning a second deployment might not occur before May 2009.

What's next for the 4th Brigade?

After the "Welcome Home" ceremony, most troops will depart on a one-month-long "block leave" for rest and relaxation. In late January, they'll resume duty at Fort Rich -- at least through the conclusion of the brigade's first "three-year life cycle," which ends in May.

Soldiers with longer enlistments or those who re-enlisted will remain with the brigade, and new soldiers will begin to arrive at mid-year, 2008.

The earliest the 4th Brigade could be redeployed to Iraq is December 2008. The Pentagon may decide to have the brigade's second generation train together a full 12 months, meaning a second deployment might not occur before May 2009.

4th Brigade military honors

For valor

3 Silver Stars*

13 Bronze Stars

57 Army Commendation medals for valor

For achievements or Service

More than 3,000Army Commendation medals

More than 200 Bronze Star medals

More than 450 Purple Hearts

*Third highest valorous award in the entire military