Downtown Canton was decorated with yellow balloons, and Marietta Highway fronting the Canton Armory was lined with hundreds of people to welcome Cherokee County's troops home on Tuesday.

North Georgia's 1st Squadron, 108th Cavalry of Georgia's 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, which includes the Canton Armory troops, returned from Afghanistan this month.

About 25 of the 87 soldiers from the Canton Armory who completed the one-year tour live in Cherokee, with the majority of the rest being from other north Georgia communities.

Susan and Wayne Wells of Woodstock were sitting outside the armory waiting on the soldiers to arrive. Mrs. Wells is head of the First Baptist Canton military ministry.

"We are happy to see them back. We wanted to show our support and welcome them back," she said.

Kimberly Teal of Ellijay, whose husband, Lonnie, returned home on Tuesday, said her daughter has been carrying around a doll with her father's picture attached to it.

"She is tired of carrying her daddy doll around. Now, she has him in person," she said.

Jenni Burris of Woodstock was waiting on the return of her husband, David, who serves as the chaplain for the troops.

"My son is ready for him to come back," she said.

Burris said while Afghanistan was an "interesting" place, he is excited about being back with his family.

"Most of the time, they were receptive to us," he said. "They were glad for us to be there."

While in Afghanistan, the soldiers organized and trained the Afghan security forces and police.

Specialist Travis Ray of Canton said Afghanistan was a challenging place to serve.

"The weather is rough at times. It can go from 135 or 136 degrees during the day to minus 20 degrees at night. It is a really weird place for weather," he said.

He said he and his fellow troops enjoyed working with Afghan people.

"They catch on. You just have to give them a little while, but they catch on," he said.

Ray said the troops were surprised to see the reception waiting for them.

"It is an honor to see that many people that took time out of their day just to waive at us," he said.

After the parade, the troops attended a short ceremony at the Armory.

Soldiers from the Armory who were on their first tour were presented with flags and coins to commemorate their service.

Canton Mayor Gene Hobgood also was in attendance to congratulate the soldiers and welcome them back home.