This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Provo • Frontier Airlines' Flight 1651 arrived Thursday with quite a bit of fanfare at Provo Municipal Airport.

Mayor John Curtis and the Municipal Council — including embattled Councilman Steve Turley — were there with about 50 other people to welcome a VIP. Councilwoman Laura Cabanilla, clad in combat fatigues, came down the stairs from the plane to cheers as she ended her year's deployment to Kuwait.

"It's overwhelming and wonderful to be back," Cabanilla said, shortly after stepping off the plane with her husband, David, who met her at Fort Benning, Ga.

Cabanilla, a lieutenant colonel of the U.S. Army Reserves, served as a deputy director in a logistics group in Kuwait, supporting U.S. operations in Iraq. She was grateful for the show of support at the airport.

Among those greeting her were three of her children — Sierra, Paige and Cliff. Paige and Cliff Cabanilla, privates first class in the Army Reserve, wore their combat fatigues and greeted their mother with salutes and hugs.

"When you don't see someone for a while, you appreciate them more," said Cliff Cabanilla. He said his mother swore him into the Army just before she departed for Kuwait.

Sierra Cabanilla, who is getting married in two weeks, said she was glad her mother was home.

Council Chairman Rick Healey was grateful to see Cabanilla return.

"It is very important she's back safe and sound," Healey said. "We are so excited to have her back so we can have more voting council members."

Cabanilla returns just as Turley, who is facing 10 felony charges in 4th District Court, takes a leave of absence.

Cabanilla, who was considered on leave from the council while she was deployed, said she had been keeping up on the issues in Provo while she was gone.

Because of her deployment, the Utah Legislature passed a bill that would allow governing bodies to appoint substitutes to fill in for elected officials who are called to military duty.

dmeyers@sltrib

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