The Times Herald October 04, 2009
Return to Arms
By Keith Phucas
COURTHOUSE — Matthew Ross, a special education teacher at Stewart Middle School, got warm greetings from students after returning from a year-long deployment in Iraq with the Pennsylvania National Guard.
As Ross stood near the Norristown school’s front entrance Thursday morning before classes started, surprised students shook his hand and welcomed him back. At one point, a group of five girls huddled around the 30-year-old man while another took pictures with a digital camera.
“It’s great to be home,” he said.
Ross, who has taught fifth- and six-grade special education classes for six years at Stewart, was there briefly this week to discuss when he would return to the classroom.
Currently, the citizen-soldier is still on leave from the Pennsylvania National Guard, and he wasn’t sure yet when he’ll return officially, he said later.
“I’m looking forward to it,” said Ross, who resides with his wife, Kaitlin, in East Norriton.
In Iraq, Ross’ 108th Field Artillery unit was attached to the 104th Cavalry Division at Camp Taji, and the soldiers patrolled the local area searching for weapons caches, supervising detainees, manning checkpoints and working to “counter” improvised explosive devices, called IEDs.
The 108th Field Artillery began Dec. 11, 1840, when the unit was first organized as the Pennsylvania Militia. The 108th Field Artillery Battalion was reportedly the first unit to use the name “National Guard,” an adaptation of Napoleon’s Garde Nationale, according to globalsecurity.org.
During the unit’s 77-year history, it served as an infantry unit, designated at various times as the 19th, the 90th, and eventually the 2nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. It was on Oct. 11, 1917 that the unit was reorganized and redesignated as the 108th Field Artillery and assigned to the 28th Division.
“We did a little bit of everything,” he said.
Typically, he traveled in an armored 1151 Humvee or a MRAP vehicle. His unit stayed out of harm’s way, but other military vehicles were hit with hidden explosives, he said.
Ross is still adjusting to his changed his environment; he looked content standing in the hallway where a banner bearing his picture was hung for the homecoming.
After students got settled in class Thursday morning, a substitute teacher said hello.
The school has only 474 students. Ross said the students, teachers and staff are like “a close-knit family. That’s what I love about this school.”
Stewart Middle School Principal Martine Walls, who taught at the middle school years before, just returned from Norristown Area High School to become principal at Stewart in July and wasn’t acquainted with Ross.
Walls said the decorations for Ross were “staff and student produced,” and they were eagerly anticipating his arrival.
“What was amazing to me was even students that didn’t know him wanted to meet him,” Walls said.
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