FORT POLK, La. &045;&045; &uot;We’re family.&uot; It was said many times Friday afternoon as families waited for the 1087th Transportation Company to step foot in Louisiana. But those saying the phrase were not talking about the soldiers but about all of the family members involved in the Family Readiness Group of the 1087th.

&uot;Once we found out they were activated, it was time to reactive the support group,&uot; said Family Readiness Group leader Carmen Anderson, whose husband, Jonathan, is a sergeant in the 1087th.

Many good friendships have been made through this group, who spent hours making posters for Friday’s arrival and decorating the Jonesville streets for the soldiers’ homecoming.

&uot;Most of our support comes between meetings&uot; with e-mails and phone calls anytime there is even the smallest bit of news, said Teresa Coplen, mother of Spc. Paul Coplen.

And what better way to spend their day Friday than together. The group of family members met at the Jonesville armory and sent a caravan of 1087th flag-waving supporters through the highways of Jonesville and all the way to Alexandria, with a Jonesville police escort leading the way. The spirited caravan garnered a lot of attention and arrived at England Airpark as a unit, supporters of the entire 1087th company.

&uot;I’ve got picture of all of them (the Jonesville-based soldiers),&uot; said Coplen, of Monterey. &uot;I didn’t know any of them before they left.&uot;

But that did not matter Friday, because they had learned about all of these soldiers through e-mails, pictures and telephone calls during the last 13 months the family group spent together.

&uot;It’s been a blessing to have this group of women,&uot; said Mary Boyette of Wildsville, whose son Jamison is serving in the 1087th.

&uot;When you’re really down, they other one pulls you through it,&uot; she said.

And the family group is the best place to go, the women said, because there are other people who understand exactly what the other is going through.

Many of the support group members are mothers so two young wives, Florencine Hollis and Kacie Boyette, quickly created a bond.

&uot;We can both relate because we’re wives,&uot; Hollis said. Hollis is living in Monroe and Boyette in West Monroe.

&uot;I don’t have any other family up here, she’s it,&uot; Boyette said.

Because the troops returned Friday does not mean the group has to be deactivated; these women believe they have made friendships and family-like bonds that will last a lifetime.

&uot;I don’t know what we’re going to do if we decide to go our separate ways &045;&045; we can’t,&uot; Coplen said.

&uot;No, I’ll keep in touch,&uot; Hollis said of the new friendship.

But those phone calls might be a little farther between than they were in the past, Hollis and Boyette agreed.

&uot;We’re very happy to say goodbye for a while,&uot; Boyette said, while both spend more time with their husbands instead of one another.