Jean Lesage Airport in Quebec City was packed Monday evening as friends and family waited to greet the last contingent of soldiers from CFB Valcartier and others as they arrived home from Afghanistan.

Many in the group of 48 soldiers, including 31 based at Valcartier, had spent up to eight months in Afghanistan.

Most of the soldiers were from the 430th tactical helicopter squadron, which lost one of its members in July. Master Cpl. Patrice Audet, 38, was killed when his helicopter crashed on takeoff.

Another soldier from Valcartier, Cpl. Martin Joannette, 25, and a British soldier were also killed in the crash.

Twenty-three soldiers from the Valcartier base have been killed since the start of the mission in Afghanistan.

Another contingent of 115 soldiers also returned home Sunday night. Many soldiers from Valcartier will begin training again in the spring ahead of another deployment expected by the end of 2010.