The brave men of 'Imjin' Company 2nd Battalion RIR may have been weary as they got off their bus early on Monday morning, but the piper's rendition of the regimental march, Killaloe, and the cheers from waiting friends and family soon put a spring in their step.
After a long journey home from the sweltering heat of Helmand Province to the autumnal grey skies of Newtownabbey, the troops, wearing their uniforms with pride, were met by commanding officer Lt Col Andrew Cullen, who personally welcomed his men home before they were reunited with families they hadn't seen for months.
The men are now looking forward to some time off, but will meet up again when they are presented with medals in recognition of their service at Hillsborough Castle at the end of the month. Then they will take part in homecoming parades in Ballymena and Belfast and be awarded the freedom of the borough of Larne.
A spokeswoman for Newtownabbey Council also said research is being conducted to see what can be done to recognise the soldiers' service, adding "this is likely to be discussed at a future council meeting".
Warrant Officer Two Michael Campbell, a TA soldier with more than twenty years experience, has been serving in the searing heat of Helmand Province since the beginning of March. His wife Jill and daughter Emma and his parents Pat and Denis greeted him as he came off the boat in Belfast.
"I'm absolutely delighted to be home with my wife and my daughter. They came and met me at the boat and it was great to see them again," the 39-year-old told the Times.
"And when the boys were coming off the boat I noticed there were a lot of smiles from people as they began to realise who we were and where we were coming from. Little things like that make it all worthwhile."
Warrant Officer Two Campbell, who was based at Camp Bastion for most of his time in Afghanistan, added: "The boys managed themselves admirably out there. For many, it was their first tour and mentoring the Afghanistan National Army was a real big feather in their caps."
Ranger Christopher Reeves, was one of the men on tour for the first time in Afghanistan.
"I actually only finished my training last May," he said. "It was an amazing experience. I took part in force protection for Camp Bastion and I was involved in training the Afghanistan National Army and l also spent seven weeks at Forward Operating Base Keenan."
The 26-year-old dad, who works in the retail industry, had an emotional reunion with his wife Elaine and his four-year-old daughter, Courtney.
"I'm looking forward to putting my feet up for a few months and then thinking about furthering my TA career."
Meanwhile, Niall Robinson, son of East Antrim MLA Ken Robinson, has just returned from a six-month tour of the Gulf with the Royal Navy.
Niall, who lives in the Mossley area, also returned home on Monday to be reunited with his wife Kerry and his 11-year-old son and two-year-old daughter.
A Royal Navy Reservist with HMS Caroline in Belfast, Niall's tour of the Gulf was his first in his 10-year tenure.
"We were taking part in ship protection which saw our team of 14 embedded with a Royal fleet on an auxiliary ship to free up fully trained soldiers," he said.
"My time away took me to Kuwait, into Iraqi waters and we also went to Bahrain. We had a Royal Navy team on board which was training Iraqi Marines to do boardings.
"As part of our team there were two of us from HMS Caroline and the rest were Welsh, Geordies and there were a couple from Plymouth. This was the first tour I have done and the training I was given beforehand really stood me in good stead.
"I now have six weeks of leave to get back into civilian life and I have already made a few plans of things I want to do around the house."