EUGENE, Ore. (KMTR) -- A group of friends, some complete strangers and a dog all gathered to welcome Gretchen Brown home from Afghanistan Sunday.
The local nurse was deployed by the U.S. Navy about a year ago to work in a combat hospital in Kandahar. Brown has been treating wounded soldiers and Afghan nationals. She says it's great to finally be home.
Brown arrived in the states several weeks ago, but stayed in San Diego to get treatment for a minor injury. Her friends say she had some opportunities to come back to Oregon sooner, but let other members of the military take trips ahead of her to see their families. Everyone was thrilled to see Brown at the Eugene airport today, most of all her Australian shepherd, Foster.
Before Brown was deployed, she worked at Sacred Heart's RiverBend hospital in Springfield. After some time off, she'll go back to work there.
