Seven-year-old Robert Boyles stands at attention, his hand over his heart, as a color guard salutes the flags at the National Guard Armory in Glasgow. The armory was host to a 10-year reunion of members of the 1st Battalion, 623rd Field Artillery of the Army National Guard who served in the Persian Gulf War. Robert is the son of Bobby and Jennifer Boyles of Tompkinsville. (Miranda Pederson, Daily News)

GLASGOW One of the most memorable parts of Operation Desert Storm was that every member of the battalion came home, at least for retired Col. John Wayne Smith of Smiths Grove, who was a battalion commander during the Persian Gulf War. When you watch your friends pack to leave the next day and the air war starts that night, there is a certain sense of foreboding there, he said. Smith, who was the keynote speaker for a 10-year Desert Storm Reunion of members of the 1st Battalion, 623rd Field Artillery of the Army National Guard based in Glasgow, still remembers the concern on the faces of spouses, parents and other relatives who wondered if their loved ones would return safely. He also remembers the joy when they did. We never lost a solder during the whole time we were there, so that was the biggest thrill for me, he said. They did their job and they did it well. It was just an extreme amount of pride on my part, as battalion commander, to be able to represent this group. About 100 of the 460 battalion members from southcentral Kentucky who served overseas in the war returned and brought about 100 family members with them for the reunion, which included a meal and some comedic relief at Glasgows National Guard Armory. Were trying to get everybody together and have a chance to reminisce. … Were keen on the opportunity to renew friendships, said Capt. Allen Boone of Cave City. Theres people here that I havent seen in 10 years. Master Sgt. Phillip Gearlds of Glasgow was happy to look upon so many familiar, but not frequently seen, faces. I went to the desert with my brother, my neighbors and some of the best friends Ive ever had, he said, pointing out retired Command Staff Maj. B.J. Honeycutt of Rocky Hill. The guard is a family and thats the difference between us and active duty and thats what makes us the elite of the Army, because we know each other. And when it counts most, Gearlds said, we trust each other.