Marine Lance Cpl. Ryan Mutek was greeted by well-wishers Friday at his parents' Manette home. Mutek was injured fighting in Afghanistan and is on convalescent leave.
Posted on 04/12/2003 1:24:52 PM PDT by ATCNavyRetiree
A HERO'S WELCOME: HOMECOMING FOR A MARINE INJURED IN AFGHANISTAN A Welcome from the Heart(land) Lance Cpl. Ryan Mutek receives a huge welcome home from area supporters.
Chris Barron Sun Staff
April 12, 2003
Amid the commotion of a jubilant celebration, a young boy walked up to Ryan Mutek and thanked him. Mutek, a lance corporal in the Marines, didn't know the boy, 9-year-old Joey Brazeau of Kingston, but handed him his camouflage hat. It's a hat that's been with Mutek from boot camp to Afghanistan and now back home to Bremerton.
"He was just the first person who walked up to say, 'Thank you' to me," Mutek, a 2001 Bremerton High School graduate, said of why he gave away a prized part of his uniform.
Mutek, 20, arrived home Friday after suffering combat injuries in June in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Walking with the aid of a crutch, Mutek was overwhelmed by the greeting that awaited him at his Perry Avenue home. More than 50 flag-waving supporters came out to welcome the young Marine.
As Mutek stepped from his father's pickup, shouts of "Thank you," "Welcome home" and "God bless you" could be heard.
It was a reception Mutek wasn't expecting.
"If I thanked you a thousand times, it wouldn't be enough," Mutek told the crowd. "It's nothing I'm ever going to forget."
For the past 10 months, Mutek, part of the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, Kilo Company out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., has been undergoing rehabilitation for injuries to his left knee.
He stayed in Afghanistan until July, when he was transferred to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. He didn't want to reveal how he received the injuries, but said they were combat-related.
He is rehabbing his knee, which doctors have told him won't return to 100 percent. He will have surgery on his back to fix a twisted spine. Mutek said his back injury occurred over time "in combat situations."
Bob Heili, a Vietnam veteran from Port Orchard who served in the Navy, came out to welcome Mutek. Heili shook Mutek's hand, stood back and saluted him.
Knowing the sometimes harsh words Vietnam vets received on their return home, Heili said, "I came out to make sure he got the recognition he deserves."
Joe Garrido of Bremerton, who served in the Air Force during the Vietnam era, agreed.
"The guy put his life on the line for us," he said. "It's just a wonderful thing."
It's not easy watching the war in Iraq from the sidelines, he said, when you feel you should be out there fighting.
His company is spread out all over the world, including Iraq.
"One of the things you want the most is to be there with your friends doing the same thing they're doing," Mutek said.
Watching the war from afar has been difficult on Mutek, said his mother, Patricia. After he was injured last year, he had feelings that he let down his unit by not being there with them.
"And when the war started in Iraq, it got worse again because he started to go through the feelings of wanting to be back there," she said.
Mutek, home for the first time in more than a year, stayed outside and continued to shake hands with the well-wishers until most of them dispersed. Standing back and observing the celebration was Mutek's dad, Stephen Mutek.
"It's good to see," he said. "I think we learned our lesson from other wars."
Reach reporter Chris Barron at (360) 792-9228 or at cbarron@thesunlink.com.
I drove to Bremerton to welcome this hero home yesterday. It was quite emotional, especially when everyone circled around him and sang "God Bless America." He was quite moved and extremely appreciative. I hope we can welcome all our troops home like this. Please, if you have the time, attend these type of events in your area. Check with local VFW posts, other "Support Our Troops" organizations, as well as newspapers for unit arrivals.
(I tried to attach picture of Ryan from article, but was unsuccessful. Could someone please post it? Gotta figure out how to do it...tried cut & paste...grrrr.)
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