I
Home Sweet Home
Family, friends await the homecoming of loved ones in Iraq
By Chelsea J. Carter
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN DIEGO — Audrey
Trevino has played it over in her
mind a thousand times: Her Navy
husband steps off the ship after
months at sea supporting the war
in Iraq, grabs her in his arms and
kisses her.
“I’m going to be there waiting
when the ship comes home,
whenever that is,” said Trevino,
27, of San Antonio, Texas.
Now that the battle for Iraq is
over, the lingering question for
her and other military family
members is when will the troops
come home?
For some, it’s a matter of weeks.
In San Diego and Everett,
Wash., the anticipation is growing
after word came that the USS
Abraham Lincoln, a floating air
field for the Navy’s most modern
fighter jets, is on its way home.
The Lincoln and its seven-ship
battle group have been at sea near
ly nine months, longer than any
U.S. carrier group now on duty. It
will offload its airwing and leave
some of support ships in San
Diego before returning to its home
port in Everett.
For others, especially families
of Marines or Army soldiers, the
wait will be much longer. Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said it
likely will be several months
before most of the ground troops
leave Iraq.
Antonia Aurilio, 28, of
Bridgeport, Conn., said she has
known from the day her husband.
Gunnery Sgt. James Aurilio, was
deployed that it would be months
fore he
Tank Battalion, 1st Marine
Division to Twentynine Palms,
Calif.
She just hopes he’s back by
August, in time for the birth of
their second child.
“The rumors are starting, and
you just hope they are true,” she
said.
Ten-year-old Jake Rabidou of
Camp Lejeune, N.C., also does
n’t know how long he’s going to
have to wait to see his father, a
Marine gunnery sergeant
deployed since January. He
wants his father home soon, Jake
says, “because I miss him.”
Kathy Delay of Everett, Wash.,
is happy her husband, hospital
Corpsman Mark Delay, is headed
home aboard the Lincoln, but her
thoughts also are with those
whose spouses remain in the
Middle East.
“Our husbands are on the way
home. There are men on the front
lines who are going to be there
for months,” she said. “So it’s
hard to be so excited.”
Some cities already have had
homecoming celebrations. In
Norfolk, Va., and Groton, Conn.,
transport ships and submarines
returned to thousands of flag-wav
ing family members.
Members of the 507th
Maintenance Support Company
based at Fort Bliss, Texas, remain
overseas, although five former
POWs from the company returned
to the base Saturday. Two Apache
helicopter crewmen who were
among the rescued POWs also
returned Saturday to their base.
Fort Hood, Texas.
“We will have several welcome
celebrations, not only for (the
507th) but for all our soldiers,”
Fort Bliss spokeswoman Jean
Offut said.
The wife of former POW Army
Spc. Joseph Hudson already has
plans for when her husband
returns.” He just wants dinner
be
he returned with the 1st
Ralph Lauer • KRT CAMPUS
Texas Chief Warrant Officer David Williams waves to the gathered 1st Calvary and family members during a welcome home cere
mony Saturday, April 19, 2003, for Williams and fellow POW Chief Warrant Officer Ronald D. Young.
cooked for him. He’s told me tit
he wants green chile chide
enchiladas,” said Natalie Hutto
of El Paso, Texas.
Everett plans a welcome
party for the USS Lincoln, v
cheering crowd waving 2i
yellow pompoms. Club Broadra
has even begun collecting
tions from local customers so
can throw its own party for
crew.
For Trevino, the return of lie
husband’s transport ship, the
Diego-based USS Dubuque, can
come soon enough. That ship
not part of the Lincoln’s group.
She and her husbant
Signalman Victor Trevino,
been married a little more tk
two years, half of which her
band has spent at sea.
“I’ll just keep thinking i
it,” she said. “It kind of makes!
wait worth it.”
She’s looking forward to
sharing the journal he has
throughout the war.
“I know this is going to k
really big thing that happened
him, and he’s going to wanttota
about,” she said. “He doesn’
to forget any of it, and I don’t we
him to.”
Though families look forwari
to the homecomings, nearly
say the hardest part will cob
with the end of celebrations.
“I’ve never had a husband com
home from war before,” Aurili
said. “I understand it’s going t
take time to get back to noraaii
know they have seen stuff]®/
comprehend.”
Aggie Marine leads
effort to rescue POWs
I am writing on
behalf of my fiance,
Brett Eubank. Brett
is Class of 2001, for
mer member of
Corps of Cadets
Company E-2, and
red sash of the Ross
Volunteers. After
graduating in
December of 2001,
Brett began his
career as a Marine
Corps officer. His
first year was spent
in basic training and
the infantry school.
Shortly after his
graduation from
infantry school, he
was deployed to
Operation Freedom
in Iraq.
He is a part of the
3rd Light Armored
Vehicle division of
the Marine Corps.
Brett has been on the
front lines since the
beginning of the
conflict. I received
the most amazing
news yesterday
through his
Captain’s wife. She
informed me that it
PHOTO COURTESY OF AGGIENETWORK .COM
Brett Eubank, Marine Corps officer
was Brett’s platoon
specifically that
found and rescued
the seven POWs in
Samarra. This was
an incredible rescue
for many reasons.
The 3rd Light
Armored Vehicle
Division does not
perform special
operations and basi
cally stumbled into
this situation. Brett
Eubank was the
commanding officer
of the historical
POW rescue. I am so
proud and the entire
Aggie family should
be as well.
-Mary-Lauren
Ashley, Class of
2001
Source: The
Association of
Former Students,
u’ w w. a g g i e n e t -
work.com
Texas POWs set to retun
home after medical test
Ralph I.auer • KRT CAMPUS
Above: Chief Warrant Officer
Ronald D. Young points to his 1st
Cavalry patch on his uniform as
his stepfather looks on during a
welcome home ceremony
Saturday, April 19, 2003, at Fort
Hood, Texas, for Young and
Apache pilot David Williams.
A jubilant crowd waves American
flags as they welcome home for
mer POWs, Chief Warrant Officer
David Williams and Chief Warrant
Officer Ronald Young, Jr. during
welcome home ceremonies at
Fort Hood Army Base in Killeen,
Texas late Saturday night, April
19, 2003. Williams and Young
returned home to a hero’s wel
come at the base after both were
held prisoner in Iraq after their
helicopter went down.
Mona Reeder • KRT CAMPUS
By Chris Roberts
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
EL PASO, Texas — After a brief
examination and a check of their
medical files, the commander of the
William Beaumont Army Medical
Center said late Sunday that five for
mer prisoners of war could be head
ed home by the end of the week.
“It’s probably going to take close
to the rest of the week” to finish the
required examinations, Col. Glenn
Mitchell said. “Then we can turn
them over to their units and they’ll
probably be put on convalescent
leave.”
Mitchell said it appeared that
none of the five members of the
507th Maintenance Company who
were taken prisoner on March 23
near Nasiriyah, Iraq, would have to
be hospitalized.
He said the examinations would
include such things as a test to make
sure they didn’t pick up any gas
trointestinal infections during their
captivity.
Mitchell said most of the work on
Sunday involved going through
medical files from the military hos
pital in Landstuhl, Germany. “We
have done our best to leave these
people with their families and loved
ones,” he said.
The soldiers spent the day with
family members, sequestered at Fort
Bliss where they will begin to ease
back into life in the United States.
“I would imagine they are just
kicking back and enjoying each oth
ers’ company,” said post spokes
woman Jean Offutt. She said the
families and soldiers are all staying
together in a hotel-like building
within the protective confines of
Fort Bliss.
Offutt said the soldiers will begin
their tests on Monday.
On Saturday, Mitchell said he
had given the five soldiers a quick
examination and found them “in
great shape and in great spirits.”
Spc. Shoshana Johnson, 30,
El Paso, had gunshot wounds to
ankles during an ambush. Althoi
others also were wounded, theyfo
been able to walk on their oi
Johnson has required wheelchairs
get around.
However, military officials in
Paso have said it is still possii
Johnson will be treated on an
tient basis.
During the ambush, nine niff]
bers of the 507th were killed and
taken prisoner, including
Jessica Lynch, who was resciifj
from an Iraqi hospital on April 1
Lynch is still recovering from
injuries at the Walter Reed ABj
Medical Center in Washington,
The 507th soldiers taken prist#
were: Johnson; Joseph Hudson, 2
Alamogordo, N.M.; Spc. Edji
Hernandez, 21, Mission; Pf‘
Patrick Miller, 23, Park City, P
and Sgt. James Riley,
Pennsauken, N.J.
They returned to Fort Bliss
Saturday evening as thousands f
onlookers cheered and wavf
American flags.
Also among the returnees v/ff
two First Cavalry Division Apa#
helicopter pilots from Fort Ho®
Chief Warrant Officer Ronald P
Young Jr., 26, of Lithia Springs,ft
and Chief Warrant Officer Davidi
Williams, 30, of Orlando, Fla.
After returning to Fort Hood
Saturday night, Young and Willia
joined President Bush at East f
church services at the military p®
on Sunday. Bush met with thet"
and their families afterward, say' 11 :
he had “a good talk with
Good, strong men.”
Williams said the meeting”"''
an absolute honor.”
Added Chief Warrant 0ff' ct
Ronald D. Young Jr.: “We stand l®*
percent behind whatever our p^ 1
dent decides to do. We’re honored 1
serve him. And this is definitely 0 ] 1 '
of the highlights of my
absolutely.”