Hero's Welcome for the 2nd Battalion 5th Infantry

The last ten days in Afghanistan were miserable, our replacement unit took over operations so we had nothing to do but wait. Our flight schedule changed about seven times and each change pissed me off because they were never in our favor.

We left the country in a completely packed C-17 and to make matters worse we were in full kit. Wearing body armor and a helmet on an airplane did not make any sense to me but, then again a lot of stuff in the Army does not make sense to me. By the time we loaded the airplane I was starving and I had to pee but I did not care, I was going home. Over the past nine months I've grown accustomed to being miserable.

The first leg of our journey home brought us to Eastern Europe. Romanian was a welcome sight. The air was cool and everything was green. I loved it! There were plenty of local women working on the base and they were a welcome sight as well! We stayed in the land of Dracula and gypsies for about two days and then we were off again but this time we‘re on a civilian aircraft. Gunny and I did not get to ride in first class but we were in the front of the aircraft. Our flight attendant was good looking and smelled great! I was trying my hardest to flirt with her but so was everyone else on the plane.

The second leg of our journey home was better than the first, we stopped in Ireland. The stop only lasted about four hours and we never left the airport but our battalion commander had a great surprise for us. It was about 0200 in the morning and the small airport we stopped was completely empty. An old Irish man in uniform met us at the terminal and an escorted us to a duty free shop and a bar that they opened up just for us. The bar was the surprise. Our battalion commander said that each person was allowed to drink two beers. Now this might not mean anything to my readers but in the Army it meant the world to the men. Believe it or not the Army is pretty gay when it comes treating us like men and alcohol is one of those these that they generally frown upon. Of course it was not allowed in Afghanistan, they had it for sale in Romanian but it was against the rules for us to drink it. So, it came as a surprise to everyone when our great leader allowed each of us to buy two drinks a piece. There I was sitting at a bar in Ireland with two ice cold pints of Guinness in front of me. For the first time in nine months I felt like a free bear again.

Believe it or not the third leg of the trip we stopped in Rockford, Illinois. I was practically home, there were several Vietnam Vets at the airport to greet us, and they had coffee and snacks for us. I really enjoyed talking to the old vets and they seemed really happy to be welcoming us home. An old Marine in a wheel chair told me about his trip back from the war, he said that there was no welcome home party for him. He had sadness in his eyes but I could tell he was happy to give us something that he didn't get. I believe that they were just as grateful to talk to us as we were to talk to them. In a way I think our return trip from war helped them heel in a way. We had a connection with those old vets that is hard for me to explain in words.

From Rockford we flew to El Paso. Home at last! There were many people there to greet us but before we were released to our families there were a few things we had to take care of. First we waited in a long line to turn in our weapons and then we had a couple of briefs to sit through once the briefs were complete our battalion commander told us we had one more thing to do before we could go home. There was someone there that wanted to talk to us, before the person was even introduced I knew who he was, he looked just like our Sergeant Major that was killed in action. It was our Sergeant Major's brother. My mood went from being extremely excited to sad. Not all of us made it home. The Sergeant Major's brother welcomed us home and thanked us. A lot of the guys shook his hand and gave him a hug but I could not bring myself to do it, he looked too much like our fallen brother, too much reality for me. I should have been happy to be home, I should have been happy to see my family but instead I was thinking about the Sergeant Major and I felt depressed.

It will take time to adjust to the civilian life again and I am hoping as soon as I see my friends and family that things will to return back to some type of normal.

Now that my time in the US Army is over I will return back to Rockford Illinois and back to my friends and my family.  Having this time and the experience with these awesome soldiers over the past 9 months will be something that will be a lifelong memory.

Thank you again 2^nd Battalion 5^th Infantry for “having my back”

G/B

 Pvt. 1^st class and ½