thedrifter
08-16-06, 02:32 PM
Tears, smiles mark Marines’ return home
BY DARIN FENGER, SUN STAFF WRITER
Aug 15, 2006
There's at least one time when it's OK for big, tough Marines to cry in public. It's when they've been at war and have just come home to sons and daughters they haven't seen in months, or worse, little ones they've never even met.
Those were the scenes, amid all the jubilant reunions, that were sure to earn tears Tuesday when 90 Marines returned to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma from a seven-month deployment.
"This one, I just met 30 seconds ago. He's just great!" cheered a proud Cpl. Jacob Boback, pointing to his 4-month-old son, Gavin, who was born during his daddy's absence. "This is absolutely outstanding; I missed the kids and my wife so much."
Jacob Boback, who has two older children, said the pain of being separated from his family was simply "impossible to describe," adding that each of his three deployments overseas have gotten harder each time.
"The more deployments, the more kids, the more it sucks," the Marine said, adding that the sense of duty and the joy of returning make it all worth while, though. "It's just terrible to be away for so long, but it's so great to come home, man."
For Cpl. Christopher Ticen, words didn't come so easily. Ticen, holding the son who was just a month old when he left, could only stand there and quietly weep.
"I'm feeling terrific. I'm glad to be home," he said, his voice still struggling through the emotion. "Everything about being away from my
family was the hardest part. But I'm back and I don't regret a single moment, but I'm glad to be home."
Happy hurrahs, laughter and shouts of "welcome home" rang out inside a hangar filled with friends and family Tuesday. Prior to the Marines' arrival, the sizable crowd gathered was marked by kids holding balloons, girlfriends waving signs and lots of folks simply standing with quiet focus, refusing to take their eyes off the doorway that would soon be filled with home-bound Marines.
The Marines that returned are members of Marine Attack Squadron 214, a group that goes by the nickname "Black Sheep." The Yuma Marines had been attached to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit based out of San Diego. The unit spent most of the deployment aboard the USS Peleliu, with stops including Singapore, Thailand, Australia and the Middle East. The last of which involved support for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Prior to the return Jacob Boback's mother, Jan Boback, joked good-naturedly that not even the Marine Corps itself was going to keep her from Jacob as soon as he appeared on the distant, yet very secure, horizon.
"They said the wives couldn't go up to the Marines, but they didn't say anything about mothers!" Jan Boback said, smiling and quipping that as a mother she outranked everyone else. "I plan to run up and hug him — formation or not."
Jan Boback and her husband traveled to Yuma from Chicago to attend Tuesday's homecoming, their son's third return from a deployment, but their first time to witness the big event in person.
"It's always difficult to have him gone and it's great to have him back in the United States of America," the mother said. "It's hard. You always worry, no matter how old they are."
Jacob Boback's middle son, 22-month-old Austin, grasped a small bouquet of balloons for daddy in his little hand. The tyke was held by Ebert Fike, Jacob Boback's father-in-law who lives in Yuma. Fike explained how he and he rest of the family just stepped into action to help with the kids while his daughter's husband was gone.
"Let's put it this way: Grandpa took over," he said, chuckling. "We kept Austin busy while his mother was working. He just wants me to play cars with him."
Fike explained how he tried to help his young grandson not lose connection with his father, whom he missed so much.
"I would hold a picture of him (Jacob Boback) and tell him (Austin) that was his Da-da," the grandfather said. "He knows his daddy was gone to fight, just out doing good."
Jennifer Rahe, wife of Maj. John Rahe, said her three daughters received a great deal of comfort from knowing just how important their dad's work was to the nation and world.
"I tell them that he's protecting everybody and that he's going over there to help people who are being hurt or just need help," Rahe said. "It makes them feel better to know that, that it's to protect everyone — them, too."
She added that it also helps that deployments are certainly no stranger in the family.
"He's been gone since she was 18 months, off and on," Rahe said, pointing to her 9-year-old daughter, "so it's all they know."
That oldest daughter, Brook, shared what she missed most about having her father near.
"Him playing with me. Him reading to me," she said, adding that her favorite book for him to read is "Go, Dog. Go!" "It's hard when he can't play with me."
The family was looking forward to simply enjoying a good family supper together Tuesday.
"He just wants to be at home with the girls — quiet time. He said he wanted beef stroganoff tonight and chocolate cakes," the wife said, adding with a laugh: "He's getting ready to find out about a new kitten he doesn't know about, so I'd better make that stroganoff good!"
Rahe, a Marine wife for 15 years, seemed pretty calm and quite like a veteran participant on Tuesday. Unlike a lot of Marines and spouses she stressed that she thinks the deployments do actually get easier with time.
"Well, you just get used to it. You just get more flexible," Rahe said, saying that leaning on friends and family are key, as are fellow Marine wives. "Plus everyone else here is going through the same thing. We just support each other."
She offered her humble advice for Marine spouses who aren't quite as experienced at handling the challenge of deployment.
"Find some friends who are going through the same thing and help each other," Rahe said. "We go to the park, go to the movies, just do anything to keep busy."
One novice Marine wife there Tuesday was Jenna Bermingham, who didn't just have to face her husband's first deployment, she also had to give birth to their first child with him thousands of miles away.
"It was pretty hard, but I had my mom with me, so it was OK, I guess," Bermingham said. "I felt weird and I did feel alone a lot, though."
For Ticen the only plan on his mind Tuesday was spending more time with his two kids and his wife, Shelley.
"I'm just going to be making up for lost time," he said, adding that he's not too particular about any activity over another. "I can do anything as long as I'm in this company."
Ticen, still hugging his little boy, explained how he will handle that day when his son is quite a bit older and finally asks just what his daddy's war experience was all about.
"I'm going to tell him," Ticen said, "that it was probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life."
Ellie
BY DARIN FENGER, SUN STAFF WRITER
Aug 15, 2006
There's at least one time when it's OK for big, tough Marines to cry in public. It's when they've been at war and have just come home to sons and daughters they haven't seen in months, or worse, little ones they've never even met.
Those were the scenes, amid all the jubilant reunions, that were sure to earn tears Tuesday when 90 Marines returned to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma from a seven-month deployment.
"This one, I just met 30 seconds ago. He's just great!" cheered a proud Cpl. Jacob Boback, pointing to his 4-month-old son, Gavin, who was born during his daddy's absence. "This is absolutely outstanding; I missed the kids and my wife so much."
Jacob Boback, who has two older children, said the pain of being separated from his family was simply "impossible to describe," adding that each of his three deployments overseas have gotten harder each time.
"The more deployments, the more kids, the more it sucks," the Marine said, adding that the sense of duty and the joy of returning make it all worth while, though. "It's just terrible to be away for so long, but it's so great to come home, man."
For Cpl. Christopher Ticen, words didn't come so easily. Ticen, holding the son who was just a month old when he left, could only stand there and quietly weep.
"I'm feeling terrific. I'm glad to be home," he said, his voice still struggling through the emotion. "Everything about being away from my
family was the hardest part. But I'm back and I don't regret a single moment, but I'm glad to be home."
Happy hurrahs, laughter and shouts of "welcome home" rang out inside a hangar filled with friends and family Tuesday. Prior to the Marines' arrival, the sizable crowd gathered was marked by kids holding balloons, girlfriends waving signs and lots of folks simply standing with quiet focus, refusing to take their eyes off the doorway that would soon be filled with home-bound Marines.
The Marines that returned are members of Marine Attack Squadron 214, a group that goes by the nickname "Black Sheep." The Yuma Marines had been attached to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit based out of San Diego. The unit spent most of the deployment aboard the USS Peleliu, with stops including Singapore, Thailand, Australia and the Middle East. The last of which involved support for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Prior to the return Jacob Boback's mother, Jan Boback, joked good-naturedly that not even the Marine Corps itself was going to keep her from Jacob as soon as he appeared on the distant, yet very secure, horizon.
"They said the wives couldn't go up to the Marines, but they didn't say anything about mothers!" Jan Boback said, smiling and quipping that as a mother she outranked everyone else. "I plan to run up and hug him — formation or not."
Jan Boback and her husband traveled to Yuma from Chicago to attend Tuesday's homecoming, their son's third return from a deployment, but their first time to witness the big event in person.
"It's always difficult to have him gone and it's great to have him back in the United States of America," the mother said. "It's hard. You always worry, no matter how old they are."
Jacob Boback's middle son, 22-month-old Austin, grasped a small bouquet of balloons for daddy in his little hand. The tyke was held by Ebert Fike, Jacob Boback's father-in-law who lives in Yuma. Fike explained how he and he rest of the family just stepped into action to help with the kids while his daughter's husband was gone.
"Let's put it this way: Grandpa took over," he said, chuckling. "We kept Austin busy while his mother was working. He just wants me to play cars with him."
Fike explained how he tried to help his young grandson not lose connection with his father, whom he missed so much.
"I would hold a picture of him (Jacob Boback) and tell him (Austin) that was his Da-da," the grandfather said. "He knows his daddy was gone to fight, just out doing good."
Jennifer Rahe, wife of Maj. John Rahe, said her three daughters received a great deal of comfort from knowing just how important their dad's work was to the nation and world.
"I tell them that he's protecting everybody and that he's going over there to help people who are being hurt or just need help," Rahe said. "It makes them feel better to know that, that it's to protect everyone — them, too."
She added that it also helps that deployments are certainly no stranger in the family.
"He's been gone since she was 18 months, off and on," Rahe said, pointing to her 9-year-old daughter, "so it's all they know."
That oldest daughter, Brook, shared what she missed most about having her father near.
"Him playing with me. Him reading to me," she said, adding that her favorite book for him to read is "Go, Dog. Go!" "It's hard when he can't play with me."
The family was looking forward to simply enjoying a good family supper together Tuesday.
"He just wants to be at home with the girls — quiet time. He said he wanted beef stroganoff tonight and chocolate cakes," the wife said, adding with a laugh: "He's getting ready to find out about a new kitten he doesn't know about, so I'd better make that stroganoff good!"
Rahe, a Marine wife for 15 years, seemed pretty calm and quite like a veteran participant on Tuesday. Unlike a lot of Marines and spouses she stressed that she thinks the deployments do actually get easier with time.
"Well, you just get used to it. You just get more flexible," Rahe said, saying that leaning on friends and family are key, as are fellow Marine wives. "Plus everyone else here is going through the same thing. We just support each other."
She offered her humble advice for Marine spouses who aren't quite as experienced at handling the challenge of deployment.
"Find some friends who are going through the same thing and help each other," Rahe said. "We go to the park, go to the movies, just do anything to keep busy."
One novice Marine wife there Tuesday was Jenna Bermingham, who didn't just have to face her husband's first deployment, she also had to give birth to their first child with him thousands of miles away.
"It was pretty hard, but I had my mom with me, so it was OK, I guess," Bermingham said. "I felt weird and I did feel alone a lot, though."
For Ticen the only plan on his mind Tuesday was spending more time with his two kids and his wife, Shelley.
"I'm just going to be making up for lost time," he said, adding that he's not too particular about any activity over another. "I can do anything as long as I'm in this company."
Ticen, still hugging his little boy, explained how he will handle that day when his son is quite a bit older and finally asks just what his daddy's war experience was all about.
"I'm going to tell him," Ticen said, "that it was probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life."
Ellie