Bridgeville soldier welcomed home after nine month tour

Tuesday was a special night at the Salisbury-Ocean City-Wicomico Regional Airport when about two dozen of a local soldier’s friends and loved ones gathered to welcome him home after a nine-month tour in Africa.

Sergeant Major Paul Piper, a Bridgeville, Delaware native, serves in the Army National Guard.

He has been serving for more than 37 years, which includes time in the reserves and National Guard. He has been on tour three times.

Our news crew met him at the airport Tuesday for this surprise homecoming, which was organized through Operation We Care.

When asked what he was looking forward to most now that he is home, Sergeant Major Piper says “Eating some good food and just basically resting and traveling to see my family members that I haven’t seen in a while and just enjoying my time home and taking care of things I’d like to do.”

Sergeant Major Piper’s unit is stationed in Annapolis, Maryland. He says he does not expect to be deployed for several years.