(WIBW) - Dozens of Kansas families have an extra reason to give thanks this Thanksgiving.

More than 40 Kansas Air National Guardsmen with the 184th Intelligence Wing Security Forces returned home Monday.

Family and friends gathered at McConnell Air Base in Wichita for the homecoming.

"It’s a great honor to welcome home our airmen,” said Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, Kansas Adjutant General. “Getting these great men and women back home to their family and friends is part of the mission and I couldn’t be prouder of their job well done.”

The group spent the past six months in Saudia Arabia. While overseas, the airmen performed a variety of roles, including maintaining perimeter security, overseeing access on and off the installation, and maintaining law enforcement patrols.