BAUMHOLDER, Germany — It was a busy day in Baumholder on Saturday as troops returned home and spouses donned combat gear to see if they could hack it as soldiers.

The two events merged briefly when a few husbands were shocked to see their wives still dressed in fatigues.

More than 300 soldiers — all from Task Force 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry — marched into the Hall of Champions gymnasium Saturday afternoon. They were returning from Sadr City in Iraq, where they refurbished schools, built soccer fields and playgrounds and faced insurgent fire.

"They exceeded all expectations," said Maj. Travis Thompson, the unit’s operations officer. "They really took the fight to the Shia insurgency and also made a difference with noncombat-related projects."

Dozens were injured and five soldiers died as they battled insurgents in the area for about a year.

Patrols lasted eight to 12 hours a day, Thompson said.

"No one lived on a [forward operating base]," he said. "These were very long, very busy hours spent fighting the heart of the insurgency."

The soldiers were thrilled to be home. Staff Sgt. J.M. Romero held his 4-month-old baby girl for the first time. He kissed her head as she nuzzled next to him.

"It’s just a great feeling," he said. "It’s a lot different from what I’ve been used to for the past year."

That was exactly the point of the other event Saturday — to give spouses the chance to connect with their deployed husbands by having them march across U.S. Army Garrison Baumholder as soldiers for the day and compete in the Iron Spouse Challenge.

The group names said everything about these 80 tough ladies: Bad News Babes, Queens of Battle, Survivor Sisters.

Assembled into teams of four, the women tackled a series of obstacles. The competition started with team members struggling to do the most push-ups and sit-ups. Tami Gray, who heads the boot camp at the gym, led her team to a combined 93 push-ups.

Still, she was disappointed with her effort.

"I can do more," she said.

The 100-meter obstacle course left many of the women sweating and gasping for breath.

"The back crawl was the hardest part," said Pearl Afa, who served in the Army for nine years. "We never had to do that when I was in."

They also marched with 10-pound sandbags in their rucksacks and pelted one another with paintballs.

So did spending the day as a soldier give them new respect for their husbands? Many said yes; others said they would like to see their husbands try to handle their workload, taking care of the kids.

Jess Nixon, whose husband, Philip, is a specialist with the 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry, said she would never look at him the same way.

"Especially when I was carrying that rucksack," she said. "All I could think was how much I love and appreciate him."