thedrifter
07-03-05, 04:58 AM
07/02/2005
Freedom Fighters: Marines revel in their homecoming, place of honor in parade
By: CHEVALIER MAYES , Villager staff
A long way from home, 23-year-old Lance Corporal John Durham of The Woodlands and other members of the 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines, patrolled the border between Syria and Iraq and policed a small town called Ar Rutbah.
Durham, Lance Corporal Catlin Carter of Houston, Lance Corporal Jonathan Heard of Houston and Corporal Clayton Harbich of Columbus, Texas, kept insurgents out of Iraq and maintained order in Ar Rutbah during the Iraqi elections last April.
A long way from home, 23-year-old Lance Corporal John Durham of The Woodlands and other members of the 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines, patrolled the border between Syria and Iraq and policed a small town called Ar Rutbah.
Durham, Lance Corporal Catlin Carter of Houston, Lance Corporal Jonathan Heard of Houston and Corporal Clayton Harbich of Columbus, Texas, kept insurgents out of Iraq and maintained order in Ar Rutbah during the Iraqi elections last April.
It has been a little more than a year since Durham and some of his company members were deployed to Iraq, and all of the Marines in that company have returned home safely. Many men and women in the armed forces in the same position as the 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines have similar stories, but very different endings.
"Thankfully none his (Durham's) company was hurt, said Debbie Durham, John Durham's mother.
The Marines have returned home just in time for residents of South County to celebrate their safe return at the annual Fourth of July Parade. It just happens this year's parade theme is "Salute the Troops - Heroes in Our Hearts."
Parade watchers can look for Durham, Carter, Heard and Harbich at the parade. All four marines will be on a yellow, flat-bed trailer. Not only will the parade be a homecoming for the Marines, but it will be the first time all four Marines have seen each other since they returned home in April
"This will be a good experience," Durham said. "It will be good to see the guys I lived with day in and day out, and who were with me when we had to deal with everything in Iraq.
The parade will mark the first time we have come together as a group since Iraq."
Durham said the part of Iraq they were stationed in was a "moderately dangerous area." He said the feeling of being home with family is indescribable. It is a privilege to participate in the parade, he said.
"It feels great to be home and no longer have to deal with the stress of being in Iraq," he said. "The public support of us being here is very nice. I am much honored to be a part of the parade."
Debbie Durham said there will be 25 others, including family and friends of the Marines, on the float with them. But she said her son and his fellow Marines seemed more humble and modest about the praise they've encountered since their return.
"They did their job and they did an awesome job," she said. "They don't consider themselves heroes. They are very humble. We couldn't be more proud of them."
Heard, a member of the 1st Battalion, 23 Marines, said it is nice to be home although it has taken some getting used to. He said he can not wait until the parade because it will be wonderful to see people with paraphernalia supporting the troops.
"I'm excited about the parade; I can't wait. I love to see people supportive of troops and what is going on. It is nice to see people celebrating the Fourth of July. I'm glad I can come home and see all the stickers and American flags. It's awesome to see people just as patriotic as I am," Heard said. "Being home is a lot better than being over there. It's different because I am used to being down there and doing things a certain way. But being home is relaxing and it is good to see family and friends again; it's life as usual.
Darla Bell, the South County Fourth of July Committee's secretary and entry chair, said the fact that the troops will participate in the parade will comply with the whole purpose of the parade.
"It's going to allow us to do what we planned to do with the parade, which was salute our troops," she said. "Let the troops see the people or let the people see them and show them support."
David Witt, president of the South County Fourth of July Committee, said he is thrilled to have the Marines participate in the parade - after all, parade has always been about supporting the troops.
"We dedicated the parade to the troops - past, present and future. We're very proud of them and this is a parade for them," he said. "What better day than Independence Day?"
Durham said since joining the Marines and being deployed to Iraq, Independence Day has taken on a new and more important meaning to him.
"I have a great deal of pride for my country and what we've done to earn freedom," he said. "I have a great deal of respect for people in our military, past and present, who have fought to protect our freedom."
Durham said the time he spent in Iraq helped him build relationships with the Iraqi people. He said he will never forget the constructive things his company was able to do in Iraq.
"Some things I took from that experience were that we built great camaraderie with the people we were with," he said. "We got to see the positive in what we were doing, like putting up schools and building up the communities. We saw the good things happening in Iraq, not just the fighting."
Heard said he is glad the company was able to see the results and major change their work produced.
The South County Fourth of July Parade will take place from 9-10:15 a.m. on July 4 in The Woodlands Town Center. The parade route will begin and end at The Woodlands United Methodist Church on Grogan's Mill and Lake Woodlands Drive. For the first time, the parade's route will include Market Street, which is new to the area this year.
Also for the first time, the parade will feature high school bands, and so far entries have been received from The Woodlands College Park High School, The Woodlands High School, Willowridge High School from Fort Bend County, Greater Houston All-Star Band and a school from Coldspring, Texas.
For more information about the parade, call (281) 210-3975.
Chevalier Mayes may be reached at cmayes@mail.hcnonline.net.
Ellie
Freedom Fighters: Marines revel in their homecoming, place of honor in parade
By: CHEVALIER MAYES , Villager staff
A long way from home, 23-year-old Lance Corporal John Durham of The Woodlands and other members of the 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines, patrolled the border between Syria and Iraq and policed a small town called Ar Rutbah.
Durham, Lance Corporal Catlin Carter of Houston, Lance Corporal Jonathan Heard of Houston and Corporal Clayton Harbich of Columbus, Texas, kept insurgents out of Iraq and maintained order in Ar Rutbah during the Iraqi elections last April.
A long way from home, 23-year-old Lance Corporal John Durham of The Woodlands and other members of the 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines, patrolled the border between Syria and Iraq and policed a small town called Ar Rutbah.
Durham, Lance Corporal Catlin Carter of Houston, Lance Corporal Jonathan Heard of Houston and Corporal Clayton Harbich of Columbus, Texas, kept insurgents out of Iraq and maintained order in Ar Rutbah during the Iraqi elections last April.
It has been a little more than a year since Durham and some of his company members were deployed to Iraq, and all of the Marines in that company have returned home safely. Many men and women in the armed forces in the same position as the 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines have similar stories, but very different endings.
"Thankfully none his (Durham's) company was hurt, said Debbie Durham, John Durham's mother.
The Marines have returned home just in time for residents of South County to celebrate their safe return at the annual Fourth of July Parade. It just happens this year's parade theme is "Salute the Troops - Heroes in Our Hearts."
Parade watchers can look for Durham, Carter, Heard and Harbich at the parade. All four marines will be on a yellow, flat-bed trailer. Not only will the parade be a homecoming for the Marines, but it will be the first time all four Marines have seen each other since they returned home in April
"This will be a good experience," Durham said. "It will be good to see the guys I lived with day in and day out, and who were with me when we had to deal with everything in Iraq.
The parade will mark the first time we have come together as a group since Iraq."
Durham said the part of Iraq they were stationed in was a "moderately dangerous area." He said the feeling of being home with family is indescribable. It is a privilege to participate in the parade, he said.
"It feels great to be home and no longer have to deal with the stress of being in Iraq," he said. "The public support of us being here is very nice. I am much honored to be a part of the parade."
Debbie Durham said there will be 25 others, including family and friends of the Marines, on the float with them. But she said her son and his fellow Marines seemed more humble and modest about the praise they've encountered since their return.
"They did their job and they did an awesome job," she said. "They don't consider themselves heroes. They are very humble. We couldn't be more proud of them."
Heard, a member of the 1st Battalion, 23 Marines, said it is nice to be home although it has taken some getting used to. He said he can not wait until the parade because it will be wonderful to see people with paraphernalia supporting the troops.
"I'm excited about the parade; I can't wait. I love to see people supportive of troops and what is going on. It is nice to see people celebrating the Fourth of July. I'm glad I can come home and see all the stickers and American flags. It's awesome to see people just as patriotic as I am," Heard said. "Being home is a lot better than being over there. It's different because I am used to being down there and doing things a certain way. But being home is relaxing and it is good to see family and friends again; it's life as usual.
Darla Bell, the South County Fourth of July Committee's secretary and entry chair, said the fact that the troops will participate in the parade will comply with the whole purpose of the parade.
"It's going to allow us to do what we planned to do with the parade, which was salute our troops," she said. "Let the troops see the people or let the people see them and show them support."
David Witt, president of the South County Fourth of July Committee, said he is thrilled to have the Marines participate in the parade - after all, parade has always been about supporting the troops.
"We dedicated the parade to the troops - past, present and future. We're very proud of them and this is a parade for them," he said. "What better day than Independence Day?"
Durham said since joining the Marines and being deployed to Iraq, Independence Day has taken on a new and more important meaning to him.
"I have a great deal of pride for my country and what we've done to earn freedom," he said. "I have a great deal of respect for people in our military, past and present, who have fought to protect our freedom."
Durham said the time he spent in Iraq helped him build relationships with the Iraqi people. He said he will never forget the constructive things his company was able to do in Iraq.
"Some things I took from that experience were that we built great camaraderie with the people we were with," he said. "We got to see the positive in what we were doing, like putting up schools and building up the communities. We saw the good things happening in Iraq, not just the fighting."
Heard said he is glad the company was able to see the results and major change their work produced.
The South County Fourth of July Parade will take place from 9-10:15 a.m. on July 4 in The Woodlands Town Center. The parade route will begin and end at The Woodlands United Methodist Church on Grogan's Mill and Lake Woodlands Drive. For the first time, the parade's route will include Market Street, which is new to the area this year.
Also for the first time, the parade will feature high school bands, and so far entries have been received from The Woodlands College Park High School, The Woodlands High School, Willowridge High School from Fort Bend County, Greater Houston All-Star Band and a school from Coldspring, Texas.
For more information about the parade, call (281) 210-3975.
Chevalier Mayes may be reached at cmayes@mail.hcnonline.net.
Ellie