A red, white and blue day

Valley Press ^ | on Tuesday, March 8, 2005 | JAMES C. LOUGHRIE

[BenLurkin]

PALMDALE - For Phelan resident Kevin Scott, it means seeing his 1-year-old daughter walk. For Tehachapi resident William Maybee, it's a new appreciation of what family and friends mean.

For Wrightwood resident Adam Gorey, it means a honeymoon.

For soldiers from Bravo Company, 185th Armored Regiment of the California Army National Guard, it means they can move on with their lives after more than a year.

Two buses carrying the soldiers from the Palmdale Armory arrived in Poncitlan Square on Monday to a throng of supporters and to the arms of their families.

"Today, we welcome soldiers who have fought to defend what this country is all about," Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford said.

The brief ceremony was a celebration for the Bravo Company, which brought back every one of its soldiers, and for their families.

Maj. Gen. Thomas W. Eres told the crowd that the soldiers paid a price - missing their families and living in hard conditions.

But the price was not paid just by the soldiers, he said. "There's also a price paid by the wind beneath their (soldiers') wings, and that's the families."

The impact made by the soldiers, he said, was more than just a war.

"They didn't just go over there to fight another war … they went over there to create a nation."

The unit, which activated in November 2003 and shipped out to Iraq in March 2004, ran tanks and light armored vehicles in Iraq.

The most important mission for many of them was securing polling places in Iraq for the country's first democratic election.

"The elections were the main event," Sgt. Aaron Green of Lancaster said. "Even though it was toward the end of our tour, the elections were the main event."

Green was in Mosul for the election. His job: to fight back insurgents who tried to scare Iraqis out of voting. "We wanted the local people to feel safe voting," he said.

When the election drew a gratifying turnout, Green said he felt good about what he did there. "It felt like what we were doing really made a difference, that we made a difference in the government out there."

Now that they're home, life moves on for the soldiers.

Spc. William Maybee can relax, but also take with him the lessons learned about family and friends.

Maybee said he had no plans for the next few days other than relaxing. "I've been waiting to see everybody. It's good to be able to relax."

But a year at war deepened his appreciation for those close to him. "I've really learned that by being away from all of my family and friends, they're what's really important in life," he said, choking back tears.

Before the buses rolled in, the family of Staff Sgt. Adam Gorey stood waiting outside the Larry Chimbole Cultural Center. Though his wife already visited him at Camp Roberts, his mother, Maryetta Beebe, had not seen him. "It's a great day," she said. "He's out of danger. He's home."

Gorey's wife, Shanna, said he did not want her to make any plans, and for the most part she hasn't - except a trip to Hawaii.

The couple were married in 2003, but did not get to celebrate their first wedding anniversary together because Gorey was headed to Iraq. They spent their second anniversary at Camp Roberts, but still haven't gone on a honeymoon.

The celebration in Palmdale was pure joy for all the families there, but it was a sour note for Tom Bennett, whose son Robert spent a year in Iraq with the 756th National Guard company based in Lancaster. When his son's unit came back in May 2004, there was no welcome home.

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[BenLurkin]

"COMING HOME - Members of Task Force 185 from the Palmdale National Guard Armory march through a hero's welcome Monday at Poncitlan Square in Palmdale after a year in Iraq. Emotions ran high as families got back together." EVELYN KRISTO/Valley Press