thedrifter
12-20-05, 05:01 AM
Tier soldier gets holiday homecoming
U-E grad spent a year in Iraq with bomb-sniffing dog
By Ryan Deuel
Press & Sun-Bulletin
Last year at Christmas, Rick Harvey said goodbye to his son Jason as he headed off to Iraq to serve as a Marine on a dangerous mission.
Just days before this Christmas, Rick got to welcome his son home after a harrowing year of wondering if he would ever get to see Jason again.
"There were many sleepless nights when anxiety took over and made me unsure if he would make it back," Rick said. "Despite several close calls, our prayers have been answered in returning Jason safely home to us."
About 7:30 p.m. Monday, after being delayed an hour, Sgt. Jason R. M. Harvey stepped off United Airlines Flight 5253 from Washington, D.C., and was greeted at Greater Binghamton Airport by relatives and friends, as well as Marine and other veterans.
Father and son immediately embraced, and both struggled to hold back the tears, which were only natural.
"This is overwhelming," said Jason, 26, a graduate of Union-Endicott High School. "It's wonderful to be back."
Jason's mission in Iraq was to work with his partner, Johnny, a Belgium Malinois bomb-sniffing dog, and find IEDs — improvised explosive devises — used by insurgents to target U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians. Insurgents, Rick Harvey said, specifically targeted Marines and their dogs. Even as insurgents routinely attacked military compounds, snipers often took shots at the Marines and their dogs.
In the last year, Jason has served in Fallujah, Ramadi and Haditha — some of the most dangerous regions of Iraq. Jason was in Ramadi when five local soldiers from the Pennsylvania National Guard — Daniel L. Arnold, Oliver J. Brown, George A. Pugliese, Eric W. Slebodnik, and Lee Allen Wiegand — were killed in September. Two days later, Jason and Johnny found a weapons cache and IED factory in an abandoned school.
On a scale of one to 10, Jason said the level of danger he faced in Iraq was about a nine.
Jason left Iraq last week and returned to Camp Pendleton, Wash., where he had to undergo what is called the "warrior transition brief." Although Jason gets to stay home for about a month, he's unsure whether or not he will have to back to Iraq.
Even though Johnny couldn't come with Jason (although the dog is back in the United States), coming home was one of the best Christmas presents either Jason or his father could imagine.
"I'm glad to be home, and I'm glad to see my family," Jason said. "I'd like to see everybody else over there come back safely, too."
His brother, Jeremiah, and his sister, Caroline, 11, were also at the airport to greet him. And Caroline brought three of her schoolmates from Vestal Middle School, who held up a sign welcoming Jason home.
"It's all about family," Jason said. "If it wasn't for my father, I probably wouldn't be getting this homecoming I'm getting right now."
Rick Harvey, a veteran of the Air Force, said he hoped this homecoming sends the troops in Iraq a message:
"We're still supporting you and all that you're doing in Iraq," he said.
Ellie
U-E grad spent a year in Iraq with bomb-sniffing dog
By Ryan Deuel
Press & Sun-Bulletin
Last year at Christmas, Rick Harvey said goodbye to his son Jason as he headed off to Iraq to serve as a Marine on a dangerous mission.
Just days before this Christmas, Rick got to welcome his son home after a harrowing year of wondering if he would ever get to see Jason again.
"There were many sleepless nights when anxiety took over and made me unsure if he would make it back," Rick said. "Despite several close calls, our prayers have been answered in returning Jason safely home to us."
About 7:30 p.m. Monday, after being delayed an hour, Sgt. Jason R. M. Harvey stepped off United Airlines Flight 5253 from Washington, D.C., and was greeted at Greater Binghamton Airport by relatives and friends, as well as Marine and other veterans.
Father and son immediately embraced, and both struggled to hold back the tears, which were only natural.
"This is overwhelming," said Jason, 26, a graduate of Union-Endicott High School. "It's wonderful to be back."
Jason's mission in Iraq was to work with his partner, Johnny, a Belgium Malinois bomb-sniffing dog, and find IEDs — improvised explosive devises — used by insurgents to target U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians. Insurgents, Rick Harvey said, specifically targeted Marines and their dogs. Even as insurgents routinely attacked military compounds, snipers often took shots at the Marines and their dogs.
In the last year, Jason has served in Fallujah, Ramadi and Haditha — some of the most dangerous regions of Iraq. Jason was in Ramadi when five local soldiers from the Pennsylvania National Guard — Daniel L. Arnold, Oliver J. Brown, George A. Pugliese, Eric W. Slebodnik, and Lee Allen Wiegand — were killed in September. Two days later, Jason and Johnny found a weapons cache and IED factory in an abandoned school.
On a scale of one to 10, Jason said the level of danger he faced in Iraq was about a nine.
Jason left Iraq last week and returned to Camp Pendleton, Wash., where he had to undergo what is called the "warrior transition brief." Although Jason gets to stay home for about a month, he's unsure whether or not he will have to back to Iraq.
Even though Johnny couldn't come with Jason (although the dog is back in the United States), coming home was one of the best Christmas presents either Jason or his father could imagine.
"I'm glad to be home, and I'm glad to see my family," Jason said. "I'd like to see everybody else over there come back safely, too."
His brother, Jeremiah, and his sister, Caroline, 11, were also at the airport to greet him. And Caroline brought three of her schoolmates from Vestal Middle School, who held up a sign welcoming Jason home.
"It's all about family," Jason said. "If it wasn't for my father, I probably wouldn't be getting this homecoming I'm getting right now."
Rick Harvey, a veteran of the Air Force, said he hoped this homecoming sends the troops in Iraq a message:
"We're still supporting you and all that you're doing in Iraq," he said.
Ellie