Five months after a deployment to the Middle East, Wally Breiner was happy to see familiar faces on Sunday morning.

The Nesquehoning resident and Summit Hill native was the guest of honor at a "Welcome Home" celebration hosted by members of his church, St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church.Breiner, a 1995 Panther Valley High School graduate, returned to the area early Friday morning.It was the second deployment for Breiner, a 13-year member of the Pennsylvania National Guard, 211th Engineering Installation Squadron.While he can't speak about his duties overseas or where specifically he was stationed, Breiner, a technical sergeant, said it is awesome to come home to such a supportive community."It was great, even when I was over there, to get the care packages and cards," he said. "The church has been very supportive of myself and my family. My son's school, Our Lady of the Angels Academy, has also been very supportive."Breiner's wife Amanda, daughter Jovie and son Brody joined him Sunday along with numerous members of the church."We're so proud of him," said Nancy Kerestus, who helped organize the celebration. "He and his family are very important to us here at the church. They are a part of our family and we're thankful for his safe return."Father Robert Teklinski said prayers have gone out for Breiner's safe return since the October departure."God has granted us those prayers and we're happy to have him reunited with his friends and family," Teklinski said. "We're hopeful that all of our servicemen and women come home as safe as Wally."The most recent deployment marked the second time Breiner served in the Middle East. He spent six months there in 2006, while he was with the U.S. Navy."I just feel like serving my country is the right thing to do," he said. "I enjoy it. I've lived such a blessed life that I feel the need to give back in different ways."Breiner expects to return to his job as a lineman with PPL in April.