HILL AIR FORCE BASE — This is one of the few times it's nice to see a Black Widow.

Thirteen of them — all members of the 421st Fighter Squadron stationed at Hill Air Force Base — returned from Afghanistan on Tuesday afternoon.

You could almost hear Kenny Loggins belting out "Danger Zone" as 13 F-16s taxied to their parking stalls, each rolling by the small crowd of waving family members and friends waiting to greet them.

It was a hard-core military moment, and hopefully these Air Force boys don't take offense to a "Top Gun" reference because it felt like Maverick and Goose coming back after a successful mission.

Tim "Goose" Gosnell is back and reunited with his wife and twin daughters after his third deployment in four years.

"He's on the ground. I'm happy," said his wife, Mairead Gosnell.

She's feeling the relief of having a partner again and one who's home and safe.

And for the first time in months, Tim Gosnell didn't have to e-mail Mairead upon landing, because she saw him in person. Now he looks forward to playing with his twins and barbecuing something that hasn't been boiled first.

David Guenthner, who also returned to his wife and children Tuesday, is looking forward to taking care of his children while his wife gets some well-deserved rest.

The Black Widows spent the past three months at Bagram Air Base as part of a contingent of 250 airmen from Hill's 388th and 419th fighter wings.

The bulk of deployed airmen had reunited with their families about 3 a.m. Tuesday. Another group of airmen from the wings is expected in the near future.

They played a role in about 900 missions in close-air support of troops on the ground in Afghanistan, said Col. Scott Zobrist, commander of the 388th Fighter Wing.

And it was historic, Zobrist said, because Hill's pilots were the first to fly F-16s to Bagram Air Base, a base that has, until July 2009, been served by F-15s and A-10s.

"It's great to have our airmen back," Zobrist said. "They did a fabulous job."

The return to Utah is a welcome one for the pilots, but it was sobering, as well.

Capt. George-Bryan "Ice" Houghton, who was killed when his F-16 crashed during a training mission at the Utah Test and Training Range in June, would have gone to Afghanistan with the 421st Fighter Squadron.

An F-16 with his name stenciled next to the cockpit was parked among the planes that returned Tuesday.

Though members of the 421st lost one of their buddies, they took a piece of him with them when they left.

"He was there," Gosnell said. "He was with us."

A 15-foot mural lettered with Houghton's nickname, Ice, with the colors of the American flag, was set up at Bagram, Gosnell said.

And each member of the squadron wore a black sleeve patch sporting the nickname.

"He was one of the best men I've ever met," Guenthner said.

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