When Iowa National Guard Captain and Sioux Center Police Officer Tyler Kanaly returned home Wednesday afternoon, he wasn’t met quietly.
Escorted from Sioux City by local law enforcement, Kanaly arrived to find friends and neighbors lined along the street where he and his wife live — waving flags, holding signs, and welcoming him back after nearly nine months overseas.
Kanaly recently completed his second deployment to Iraq, serving at Al-Asad Air Base in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
For Kanaly, service has long been part of his life.
He grew up in Yankton, South Dakota, and joined the National Guard in 2013, initially motivated in part by student loan repayment benefits. He transferred to the Iowa Guard in 2017 and rose through the officer ranks, eventually being promoted to captain after his first deployment
His first overseas deployment came in 2020, when he served in Baghdad on an air defense mission. This most recent deployment carried greater responsibility.
Stationed at Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq, Kanaly’s unit conducted security operations and later helped shut down the long-running base, a transition that meant long days and constant coordination.
Though Kanaly was stationed in Iraq, the reality of combat hit home in December.
On December 13, 2025, Iowa National Guard members, Staff Sgt. William Nathaniel “Nate” Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, and Staff Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, were killed in an ISIS-related attack near Palmyra, Syria. The soldiers were killed during a combat mission, and three others were injured.
Kanaly’s unit was not in Syria, but he did know the brother of one of the fallen soldiers, who was serving at Al-Asad Air Base.
Back home, Tyler’s wife, Allison, was navigating daily life with their five- and three-year-old children.
Technology made communication possible, but leadership duties and time differences limited the number of conversations.
As the deployment wound down and soldiers began traveling home, communication briefly stopped — something Kanaly later explained was due to operational security restrictions surrounding mass troop movement. For family members waiting back home, the silence was difficult, but it was a necessary precaution.
She recalled the hours without contact before the alert that they landed in Texas.
For Kanaly, returning home is both joyful and challenging.
Kanaly notes that he missed several milestones while overseas, from lost teeth to kindergarten moments, and says those are the kinds of memories that are hardest to be away from.
He also says leadership doesn’t end when a deployment does. Some soldiers from his unit remain overseas, and he continues to stay engaged and connected.
Now back in uniform in Sioux Center, Kanaly resumes his duties with the Sioux Center Police Department — carrying with him the weight of command, the memory of sacrifice, and a renewed appreciation for time with family.
For the Kanaly family, reintegration means relearning routines. But Wednesday’s homecoming — complete with flashing lights and neighbors lining the street — was a reminder that the community they serve was ready to serve them right back.
