HeraldReviewMedia's video: The Daily Chirp: The Soldiers Will Be Home For The Holidays

Good morning, it’s Tuesday December 22nd and this is The Herald Review’s podcast, the Daily Chirp. We’re excited to bring you a closer look at one of our top stories, events in the community, local history, sports, and more. Today - The soldiers will be home for the holidays. But first, a quick message from our sponsor  Before we begin, some local history. Did you know that you can find the world’s largest rose bush in Tombstone? The rose tree museum displays a great collection of historic artifacts, but the real attraction is the rose bush in the backyard. It was planted in 1885 with cuttings from Scotland.  Today’s history was brought to you by Benson Hospital. They’re doing more than treating illnesses in Benson, they're building a healthier community. Benson Hospital donated rescue inhalers to Cochise County Schools to help keep kids healthy and out of the ER. To learn more, visit their website at bensonhospital.org. Now, our feature story. After several months of restrictions aimed at keeping soldiers as safe as possible from COVID-19, hundreds of soldiers at Fort Huachuca climbed onto buses headed for Tucson International Airport. Other soldiers were picked up at the installation by family members. Regardless of how they made their exit, the troops, specifically the Advanced Individual Training students, are finally going to connect with the loved ones they have not seen in a year or longer. Fort Huachuca spokeswoman Tanja Linton said that normally they’d be given some leave time right after basic training, but this year most were sent directly to Fort Huachuca or other posts. She also said that these soldiers vary in age, but a lot of them are younger, so this may actually be their first experience being away from home. Lieutenant Colonel, Wendy Gray spoke about the approach earlier in the pandemic. For the past several months, AIT soldiers have been restricted to the installation. Soldiers were screened by nurses Saturday morning just before they hopped on their buses to the airport or were retrieved by a family member or friend at Fort Huachuca. Upon their return, Gray said that AIT soldiers will do a health assessment, and letters were sent to the families of each departing soldier informing them of the procedures. Gray said soldiers can be tested at the installation with results available within a couple of hours. Ultimately, a lot of preparation went into preparing for the soldiers’ exodus on Saturday. Why? Brig. General Tony Hale said that [quote] “It’s absolutely necessary to allow these kids to go on holiday block leave to see their families. What we ask our soldiers to do, specifically over the last nine months, has been pretty hard. We’ve restricted them in ways that the American public is not restricted because it’s our job to execute our mission for the nation.” Want to stay up to date on what’s going on? Join NABUR – your trusted neighborhood community. NABUR is a free online forum you can trust to connect with your community, focus on facts & make a difference. Join the conversation! Visit Nabur.myheraldreview.com   Now, a quick sports update brought to you by ApexNetwork Physical Therapy. Providing physical therapy to the community, ApexNetwork offers a wide range of services including Manual Therapy, Industrial Rehab, Dry Needling, Golf Rehab and more. To learn more, go to ApexNetworkPT.com. Seven-year-old Cassidy Regan aspires to be a bull rider when she grows up.She likes how strong the bulls are and she likes it when the cowboys ride them and don’t get bucked off. Regan, who lives in Tombstone, was part of a crowd gathering for a monthly bull riding event started by Shoot Out owners Robby and Kati Jundt. The Jundts have been holding bull riding competitions on the third Saturday of every month since their inaugural event. This event coincided with Tombstone’s Cowboy Christmas celebration. Jundt said that they had some top bull riders competing, including members of the Professional Bull Riders Inc. and members of the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association. In addition to bull riding, tourists and locals are invited to take advantage of a vendors’ shopping event.  And before we go, we’d like to remind you that the sierra vista pathfinder club is conducting a shoe drive from now until January 30th. All donated shoes will be redistributed through the Funds2Orgs network of partners in developing nations.  Thanks for tuning in to the Herald Review podcast today, join us again on Tuesday! For more information on any of the stories you heard about today, visit us at myheraldreview.com.  And if you’re still looking for the perfect gift for someone special, right now we’re offering 58% savings on our one year home delivery subscription! You’ll also receive a $20 coupon for Ace Hardware or a $20 coupon for Texas Roadhouse. This year, give the gift of local news that you can trust.