NORFOLK --  50 sailors climbed off the bus and into the arms of waiting loved ones Thursday.

Video: Happy homecoming for Little Creek Seabees

Larger screen

The active and reserve personnel of Amphibious Construction Battalion TWO had a busy deployment in Iraq, building a 3,500-square-foot structure to house the U.S. State Department Embedded Provincian Reconstruction Team and clearing sites and building roads for the future 214th Fires Brigade Tactical Operations Center.

The sailors also placed guard towers and scud bunks for the Wasit Province Checkpoint Projects, which watch for Iranian arms moving into Iraq.

"I was very proud of my guys. They did a tremendous job out there for the six months, out there fighting the heat all day. We had a crew out there that worked at night and they accomplished a great amount, says LTJG Dave Lundberg.

While most of the Seabees were gone for six months, some of them had been gone for a year.