The Illinois Patriot Guard welcomed the men at Midway Airport. There were also lots of hugs from friends and family members.
Three of the marines are from the Chicago area: Lance Cpl. Dustin Marcukaitis of Peotone, Joe Chesna of Oak Lawn and Luke Simpson of Naperville. The others Marines are in Chicago spending time with friends.
Chesna had this message for the men and women still serving in Afghanistan: "Go hard, you know, give it all you've got. You're there for a year. You can lose your life at any moment. But you want to go as hard as you can every second. That's the only way you're going to make it back. And that's very important."
After the big welcome home, the Patriot Huard escorted the marines to Monee for a big celebration.
