Specialist Yasmine Butts joined the Army National Guard, because she wanted to do something to honor her fiancé, Jamie Newman, who died in Afghanistan last year.

On Thursday, she and about 120 other soldiers from the Suffolk-based Troop B, 2nd Squadron, 183rd Cavalry Regiment, 116th Brigade Combat Team, returned to the National Guard Armory in Suffolk to the resounding cheers of family and friends.

“It’s nice,” said Butts, 19, of returning to her family.

The soldiers were part of a group of about 825 soldiers from across the state that mobilized for duty in Iraq as Task Force 183. In addition to Suffolk, units in the group were from Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Christiansburg and Fredericksburg.

The Suffolk unit deployed from the armory on June 1. They spent their time away providing convoy security for trucks hauling supplies like food and water, ammunition and repair parts.

“It was the first time she had been gone,” said Benita Butts, Spc. Butts’ mother. “I knew she was doing good work for our country, but it was hard for me.”

As the buses arrived outside the armory Thursday morning, the crowd inside erupted into cheers and applause. Many held homemade signs and red, white and blue balloons.

“I told my daughter I was going to wrap her under the tree,” Benita Butts said. “This is one of the best Christmas presents ever.”

The soldiers filed into the armory, some quickly hugging or kissing their relatives before they gathered into formation.

Brig. Gen. Bill Phillips spoke a few brief words before releasing the men and women to their families.

“The last time they deployed was in 2007 during the surge,” he said.

With the Iraq War drawing to a close, the same unit got to participate in more history this year, he said.

“The historical aspect this year was they actually got to close down Iraq,” he said. “They were one of the last ones coming out.”

Phillips then released the soldiers to their families, and a flurry of hugs, kisses and tears ensued.

In a corner near the stage, Staff Sgt. William Fisher choked up as he held his 15-week-old son for the first time.

“It’s pretty amazing,” he said. “I can’t describe it.”

He has seen his son, Will, through Skype, an Internet site that offers video chat. But he wasn’t there for the first smile or the first roll-over, wife Sarah Fisher said.

“It was the little things he was missing out on,” she said. “But I’ve had a good support group all around.”

Many were happy their loved ones had returned ahead of schedule, said Mandy DeKeyser, the wife of unit commander Capt. Josh DeKeyser. She was in charge of the Family Readiness Group for the unit.

The soldiers initially were scheduled to be gone until July.

Like the families back home during the deployment, the soldiers also have post-deployment support in the form of the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program.

The soldiers arrived at Camp Atterbury, Ind., on Dec. 1, where they completed training on reintegrating to traditional National Guard status. They received training on reconnecting with their families, maintaining their financial health, managing stress, going back to their regular jobs and other topics, said Cotton Puryear, a spokesman for the Virginia National Guard.

The soldiers will be free from their usual National Guard duties for two to three months, but the National Guard will continue to assist them with benefits and transitioning back to the workplace.

“Our overall experience with employers has been positive,” Puryear said. “We couldn’t do it without them, both the support of the families and the support of the employers.”

The support of the families, especially, is key.

“I’m so proud of her,” Benita Butts said of her daughter. “She really wanted to do it to honor her fiancé.”

Yasmine Butts’ father, Sidney Boyd Jr., said he was not concerned about his daughter being overseas.

“I was praying every day,” he said. “She’s tough.”