COLUMBUS, Ind. (WDRB) -- "It's great to be home again."
An emotional Mike Pence expressed his feelings after arriving home in Columbus on Wednesday afternoon, hours after attending President Joe Biden's inauguration.
The former U.S. vice president thanked supporters and described how great it was to be back in Indiana.
"Serving as your vice president was the greatest honor of our lives," he said. "But now that season of service has come to an end, we just had to come home."
Former Second Lady Karen Pence said the flight aboard Air Force 2 was a special one for her husband.
"This is the exact same plane that took us to Washington, and Mike wanted to sit in the jumpseat," she said. "He wanted to take it all in. He wanted to get that clear, clear perspective."
Pence offered praise for the new occupants of the White House, making no mention of the riots at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month that led to to the deaths of five people, including one police officer.
"Today, we inaugurated a new president and vice president," he said. "And allow me to offer my congratulations to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, but let me also take a moment to say thank you to President Donald Trump and to Melania for all they have done to make America great again."
Pence went on to list what he characterized as the accomplishments of the Trump administration, including "rebuilding our military," "reviving our economy and taking it to heights never seen before," and the installation of a host of federal appointees, including three U.S. Supreme Court justices.
"We thank you for your support," he said. "We thank you for your prayers. We felt them every day. Every opportunity we have ever had, we owe to the grace of God, our family and to the people of Indiana."
And he said he'd be seeing a lot more of the people of Indiana in the future.
"We'll be moving back to Indiana come this summer," he said. "There's no place like home.
"We don't know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future."
This story will be updated.
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