V CORPS' 77TH MAINTENANCE COMPANY RETURNS FROM DEPLOYMENT IN SUPPORT OF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM
V Corps Release
Release Date: 11/28/2003
By Donna Dean 233rd Base Support Battalion Public Affairs Office
BABENHAUSEN, Germany -- More than 100 Soldiers from VCorps' 77th Maintenance Company, 3rd Corps Support Command, were welcomed home here Nov. 26 after being deployed for eight months in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Excited wives and children carrying signs, flowers and American flags gathered on the sidewalk outside the Army Community Service center on Babenhausen Kaserne to greet their loved ones.
With a military police escort, the Soldiers marched from their motor pool through the base to ACS. With the first glimpse of the unit, family members broke out in cheers and tears flowed. Children jumped up and down and "Daddy!, Daddy!" could be heard from one end of the street to the other.
The unit filed into ACS and stood in formation as family members looked down on the 107 Soldiers from a balcony above. Children jumped and wiggled and moms snapped pictures and waited patiently as Lt. Col. John MacGillis, the 3rd COSCOM rear detachment commander, welcomed the soldiers home and summarized the unit's mission in Iraq.
"77th Maintenance Co. began their move across the Iraqi desert in March and set up at Camp Cedar," MacGillis said. "Within a five-to-six-week period they recovered more than 125 vehicles that had broken down as units moved forward to Baghdad. They supported each other in very harsh conditions." The unit moved on to Camp Dogwood where they stayed until they began the redeploying in October and moved to Taji, north of Baghdad, MacGillis said.
He thanked the families for their patience, support, and the time and energy they spent in sending care packages to the soldiers.
"You are the backbone of what makes our Army great," he told the spouses. "We can go away, do our jobs, and come back knowing that all has been taken care of."
As the patient families sensed that their Soldiers would soon be released to go home, they gathered their belongings and shuffled toward the stairs. As soon as the unit was released, the families ran to greet each other. Daddies held their babies for the first time; and newlyweds, like Spc. David Head and Spc. April Head, started again to build their life together.
"It seems like I haven't seen him forever," April said. "We married on Jan. 17 while stationed at Ft. Polk. David left the end of January for Germany." April stayed at Ft. Polk until August, when she moved to Babenhausen to begin her current job as a chaplain's assistant at the community's chapel.
"It was hard to keep in contact at first," she said. "He called once a month until about August, and then we were able to e-mail each other. We're going to start all over -- start from the beginning."
She says she has nothing to complain about. "I think I did good while he was gone," she said, "and I feel blessed. Some [soldiers] didn't come home alive."
Spc. Mark Shene held his sleeping daughter, Madison, 2 months old, for the first time.
"As soon as he left, I found out I was pregnant," said Rachel Shene. "I went to New York to be with my parents and to have the baby. Since he wasn't going to see her born, I asked my mother-in-law to join my mom [in the delivery room]. I came back to Babenhausen a week ago."
Even with shrieks and laughter emanating throughout the building, Dominik Lipari fell asleep in his father's arms.
"He was only 12 days old when I left," said Capt. Ben Lipari, the 77th's commander. The Liparis said planned to relax over Thanksgiving weekend. "I'm going to let daddy change diapers," laughed Melissa Lipari.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
