Posted on 09/28/2006 5:16:34 PM PDT by SandRat
FORT HUACHUCA — Darien Enyart was but a babe when his father held him just before he said farewell about a year ago.
Wednesday morning, Sgt. James Enyart once again held Darien, who has turned from a wiggling infant to a walking, albeit with tentative steps, child. It was early in the morning when the 40th Signal Battalion noncommissioned officer marched into the Barnes Field House gymnasium with 93 other soldiers of Companies C and B of the 11th Signal Brigade battalion.
Waiting in the crowd was his son, held by wife Danica.
The boy was held aloft by his mom, when Brig. Gen. Carroll Pollett mentioned Darien had just become a 1-year-old on the day his father was returning from a nearly 12-month deployment to Iraq.
As the sun was beginning to clear away the pre-dawn darkness, the gym was the scene of a typical military welcome-home ceremony, with music, a prayer and speeches.
The 40th’s commander Lt. Co. Linda Jantzen commended her soldiers for keeping communication lines working in Iraq by providing special systems “for every major U.S. and coalition headquarters.”
The need for tactical communications were met, she said, adding on the home front the families supported the men and women of the 40th.
Some family members “went to work and school and sent you care packages,” Jantzen said.
The soldiers were in harm’s way all over the country, from the Syrian border to southern Iraq.
Four soldiers of the unit received minor wounds from a rocket fired at a camp where they were providing communications, and another, who is going through physical therapy in Texas, was more seriously wounded by an improvised explosive device that tore through one of his hands.
What the 40th did, as every soldier of the 11th has done when called to deploy, is do the job for which they have been trained, said Col. John Hildebrand, the brigade commander.
“You went to Iraq and accomplished the missions,” he said.
Listening to the comments was Shelly Prestridge and her two children.
She had made an Army uniform for 4-year-old Drake, who wore the rank of his father Sgt. William Prestridge. Dressed in pink, was “Princess” Tatyana, 2.
The word princess was embroidered on her skirt and blouse.
“Out of three years, he’s been home nine months,” the NCO’s wife said.
But, it’s part of the job of being a solider and that of a family, she added.
Pollett, the commander of the Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Army Signal Command, knew the soldiers and their families didn’t want to hear long speeches, even though he jokingly threatened to talk for 45 minutes.
He quickly ended the ceremonial aspects of the event and gave the order all were waiting for — “dismissed.”
There was almost an explosive sound as hundreds of spectators rushed to the soldiers who had just returned.
Enyart hugged Darien and said “Happy birthday,” as wife and stepson Zane McCloud 8, watched.
Like many family members, the Enyarts wanted to leave and resume their everyday home life.
“We just did our jobs,” the sergeant said.
Some of the returning GIs did not have families meeting them.
They were the single Signal Corps soldiers.
Those who lived in the barracks before deploying had to go through the process of getting rooms in their government quarters.
One said, when Brig. Gen. Pollett met them at Libby Army Airfield and boarded the commercial contract plane he made an announcement.
The general said Arizona had changed its drinking laws and beer was no longer being served in the state — which led to a good natured boo.
All soldiers have to go through a decompression phase after returning to reintegrate themselves back with their families and stateside duty.
That happens before they are given time off.
A four-day break is scheduled for Friday through Monday and then those who want to take leave may do so.
Soon the only sounds of the gym were of a detail of GIs, removing chairs and tables that had been set up for the ceremony.
Long gone were the yells and cheers that echoed off the gym’s walls.
Another group of deployed 11th Signal Brigade soldiers were home.
Next month, about 100 soldiers are scheduled to deploy to Iraq.
The usual farewell ceremonies are more somber with sad crying and hugging that some seem never to want to stop.
But, within a year, joy will return, this time with tears of happiness, and as Hildebrand said of Wednesday’s redeployment with “excitement and pride.”
herald/Review senior reporter Bill Hess can be reached at 515-4615 or by e-mail at bill.hess@svherald.com.
WELCOME HOME HEROES!!!!
Gotta get to know Daddy now.
God Bless them all!
Welcome Home to our Heroes!
That pic is enough to make a strong man cry (in a good way).
Welcome home troopers.
God bless our brave troops and their dear families and friends bttt.
(and look at that cute Danica wearing her high heels! With a one year old! You know that it's been a while since Sgt James Enyart has seen a pair of those! They aren't standard issue with burkas... another reason I love this country. God bless America.)
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