WOO-HOO!!!!
Posted on 03/03/2009 7:21:39 PM PST by SandRat
The one who was waiting for his father was 7-month-old Jace, conceived when the noncommissioned officer was on two weeks leave during a 15-month deployment with the 40th Expeditionary Signal Battalion.
“He’s never held his new son,” said wife Jen, who was in Barnes Field House on the post. Hundreds of other family members and friends welcomed back the first of two contingents of the battalion returning from deployment in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Qatar.
The first group of 314 soldiers of the battalion arrived at Libby Army Airfield at 5:07 p.m. when the tires of the World DC-10 landed on the runway, sending clouds of smoke announcing its touchdown.
This morning, another 248 battalion soldiers were tentatively scheduled to arrive at 6 a.m. at Libby, completing the unit’s deployment.
It took more than two hours for the arriving soldiers to enter the field house, through a cordon of American and military service flags held by motorcycle riders, who escort each deploying or redeploying group of post soldiers.
Trying to bring order to the children waiting for their parents, Sgt. 1st Class Donald Clark made the excited young people little soldiers, having them march into the gym, line up as their parents would and practicing a salute. When the National Anthem was played, almost all the children saluted, just like their soldier mom or dad, while others in the crowd held their hands over their hearts.
Being a combination of a drill instructor and cheerleader, the NCO asked the children what he told them they had to do.
“What is your magic word?” he asked them.
A very loud “quiet” was the response.
Soon, a chant emanated from the young people — “Daddy, daddy, daddy,” over and over again.
As the 40th’s soldiers marched into the gym, to the theme music of “Rocky” played by the 36th U.S. Army Band, the voices of the children were joined by loud and excited voices from adults.
But, when it came to the young people, Clark’s pretend gruff order that they were not to rush out on the main part of the floor when the soldiers appeared was not heeded by two of the young people.
As soon as one girl spotted her dad, it was a headlong run to him and soon she was in his arm.
Trying to regain unit cohesion, the soldier put his daughter down and told her to go back with the other children.
But soon, she was back at her father’s feet, this time carrying a welcome sign, until mom brought her back to the children’s formation.
In the meantime, a small boy, wandered up and down in front of the group of children, occasionally heading toward the soldiers standing in formation, until he was brought back.
With a wide smile on his face, Clark, who is the operations NCO for the 11th Signal Brigade’s headquarters company, promised the Herald/Review that neither child would be disciplined by the Army for violating an “order.”
After all, Clark knows what it’s like to come home from a long deployment and have family and friends waiting to hug a soldier and be hugged by a GI. He returned in December with the brigade headquarters staff after a 15-month deployment in Iraq.
For Lt. Col. Linda Jantzen, the 40th’s commander, returning home is all about family and friends. Waiting for her were her family from North Dakota.
“It was a long 15-month deployment, and now it’s over for them, the soldiers and their families,” she said.
The accomplishments of the 40th in a large area where it operated and maintained Multi-National Force Iraq’s theater operational communications, as well as augmenting the 54th Signal Battalion in Kuwait and the 25th Signal Battalion in Afghanistan and Qatar was recognized by the 11th’s commander, Col. Francis Huber. He assumed command of the brigade on Thursday.
Huber summarized the battalion’s accomplishments, saying, “The country is proud of you, the state is proud of you, the fort is proud of you, the 11th is proud of you, and your families are proud of you.”
Then looking at the soldiers standing in formation and the crowd ready to rush them, Huber yelled out, “Dismissed.”
As soldiers rushed toward the bleachers, and family members and friends ran toward the floor, people were wandering around as those in uniforms and those in mufti called out names.
For Jen Cervantes, she was unable to spot her husband initially.
Resourcefully, she held up a small photo of him, asking people milling around her and her two children, “Have you seen him?”
Working his way through the crowd was the sergeant, and soon the family embraced.
Perhaps the most surprised to see the sergeant was his 5-year-old son Jayde. His mother did not tell him they were at the field house to welcome him home.
She had told her son they had come for another event to keep his father’s homecoming a surprise.
But when Jayde saw his father, his eyes widened in a combination of joy and surprise, like a visual happy, wow!
And, when the soldier saw his new son, 7-month-old Jace — for the first time as a living and breathing baby, instead of through photos — his eyes opened widely, too.
Kisses, hugs, embraces — all the emotions of a welcome home — were part of the many scenes being played out in the field house.
Looking at Jace, the soldier spouse father said this was the second child he wasn’t home for during his wife’s pregnancy. Jayde was conceived before a deployment and born while he was deployed. The soldier has deployed three times in the past six years.
Jantzen said the battalion saw an increase in its family member rolls during the deployment
“Nineteen babies were born while we were gone,” she said.
Herald/Review senior reporter Bill Hess can be reached at 515-4615.
Welcome Home!
Welcome Home Heroes!!
BTTT and welcome back!
I did my part for moral....A lot of wives and girlfriends came into our shop last week. Did quite a few brazilian waxes. ;-)
Sounds like some Prep work for the Hubbies return....
yup proud to do it.
Welcome home.........Thank you and God Bless you all!
Wonderful news, Star! Thanks for sharing! WOOHOO!
Welcome Home!!!
(can’t wait to say it to my son-in-law..gets home on leave after the 15th)
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