thedrifter
11-06-06, 07:45 AM
Reflections On The Return Of Charlie Company
By 1st Sgt. BEN GRAINGER
November 6 2006
Editor's note: 1st Sgt. Ben Grainger is the chief noncommissioned officer of the Plainville-based Charlie Company, which returned from Iraq to Connecticut Oct. 25, when its members were reunited with their families at the State Armory in Hartford. While in Fallujah, Grainger wrote an online blog for The Courant. Grainger, who lives in Enfield with his wife and three sons, agreed to write this one final blog for the paper.
As we returned home, many emotions went through the heads of the Marines and sailors of Charlie Company. We left for Fallujah to bring a sense of tranquility and a hopeful peace not only to Iraq, but to our own country.
Instead, it seems we left one political arena to return to another, as it is election time here. Some of you did not support the war, but you supported your Marines and sailors - and that is all we asked. You have to decide which ones to follow as you vote this week. Through the sea of political wordplay and made-for-TV news, you have to sort out the truths and act on them. Stand by your beliefs, as that is the American way, but make sure the beliefs you stand by are not tainted by what others would want you to believe. The eyes of many Marines, sailors and soldiers have seen these truths and they are not sugarcoated, nor are they shown for ratings; they are etched in the memory of those who have walked the streets of Iraq.
As Charlie Company moved south from Fallujah to Kuwait, you could feel a sense of the weight of the world being lifted ever so slightly. You could talk about it and think about it, but it was no longer at your front door. No more mortars hitting the port-a-johns or IEDs peppering the vehicles. We had begun the long trek home. As we flew back across the ocean we had crossed seven months ago, the tiredness and reality of what we had done started to set in. It was like passing through a mystical door, as you left one world and re-entered another. Back into a world of normalcy, a world with families and friends on every corner, where cars don't blow themselves up, and you can walk down any street without worry of what you will find. That was the world the Marines and sailors were returning to.
As we sat in California, the Marines and sailors adjusted - really unbeknownst to them - to the normalcy of life. As they ate their pizzas and talked to their families on the phone, they began the process of stowing away those things that are better not repeated. They drank a few beers at night and talked among themselves about the Marines and sailors lost, but mostly they just blew off the steam that had accumulated in Iraq. This is always the best medicine, even though the prescription is not always followed.
As we landed at Westover the air was filled with electricity. It was as if every Marine wanted to drive the bus to get there a little faster. Any doubt as to whether we served a purpose or whether our states stood behind their Marines and sailors quickly vanished. This, in my eyes, was the best medicine yet for Charlie Company: A welcome home to top all welcome homes I had ever seen - and yes, we were home. We were greeted by the Massachusetts State Police and Marine Corps League, who escorted us to the Connecticut state line. As we crossed the border we were passed off to the Connecticut State Police like a baton at a track meet. As we progressed down the road, reading all the banners of support on the overpasses, we were joined by the Enfield and Windsor police, as well as at least 50 motorcycle riders and the Connecticut Rolling Flags. They escorted us into Hartford, where we were met by a chorus of horns and lights from large towing rigs and flatbeds brandishing signs welcoming Charlie Company home. I'm not sure what towing company produced that display, but it was a sight to see as we rolled toward the armory.
As we unloaded the buses outside the armory, you could hear the roar of the crowd inside, as if someone had just hit a grand slam in the World Series. I gave up on giving commands, as there was no way I was beating out the roar of the crowd, but then that says it all as to how the state felt about having us home. It was great to see the Marines and families reunited at long last, and the amount of support that was given to each one. I pray that the support they receive will be all the recovery process they will need to get back to a normal life.
As I prepare to hang up the boots for the last time soon, I know I could not have served with a better bunch of Marines or sailors than the ones that made up Charlie Company. I think they were the Northeast's best-kept secret, for in seven deployments I have never seen such Marines and sailors, nor states stand so strong behind them. I am proud of every one of them as well as every family member and friend who has supported them over the last year. I pass the torch now to the families to watch for the demons that would haunt some men's souls. I have looked for them and not found any, but they can be so tricky, as we know. Look deep into the windows of your loved one's eyes and don't let the demons fool you nor him. I will always be around, watching over them, if I am needed. Until then I will be with the love of my life, my dream girl, sitting under the stars. If you listen on the wind at night, you may still hear the music as it plays, for there is no greater country than our America.
For a full report on Charlie Company and the war in Iraq, visit www.courant.com/iraq.
Ellie
By 1st Sgt. BEN GRAINGER
November 6 2006
Editor's note: 1st Sgt. Ben Grainger is the chief noncommissioned officer of the Plainville-based Charlie Company, which returned from Iraq to Connecticut Oct. 25, when its members were reunited with their families at the State Armory in Hartford. While in Fallujah, Grainger wrote an online blog for The Courant. Grainger, who lives in Enfield with his wife and three sons, agreed to write this one final blog for the paper.
As we returned home, many emotions went through the heads of the Marines and sailors of Charlie Company. We left for Fallujah to bring a sense of tranquility and a hopeful peace not only to Iraq, but to our own country.
Instead, it seems we left one political arena to return to another, as it is election time here. Some of you did not support the war, but you supported your Marines and sailors - and that is all we asked. You have to decide which ones to follow as you vote this week. Through the sea of political wordplay and made-for-TV news, you have to sort out the truths and act on them. Stand by your beliefs, as that is the American way, but make sure the beliefs you stand by are not tainted by what others would want you to believe. The eyes of many Marines, sailors and soldiers have seen these truths and they are not sugarcoated, nor are they shown for ratings; they are etched in the memory of those who have walked the streets of Iraq.
As Charlie Company moved south from Fallujah to Kuwait, you could feel a sense of the weight of the world being lifted ever so slightly. You could talk about it and think about it, but it was no longer at your front door. No more mortars hitting the port-a-johns or IEDs peppering the vehicles. We had begun the long trek home. As we flew back across the ocean we had crossed seven months ago, the tiredness and reality of what we had done started to set in. It was like passing through a mystical door, as you left one world and re-entered another. Back into a world of normalcy, a world with families and friends on every corner, where cars don't blow themselves up, and you can walk down any street without worry of what you will find. That was the world the Marines and sailors were returning to.
As we sat in California, the Marines and sailors adjusted - really unbeknownst to them - to the normalcy of life. As they ate their pizzas and talked to their families on the phone, they began the process of stowing away those things that are better not repeated. They drank a few beers at night and talked among themselves about the Marines and sailors lost, but mostly they just blew off the steam that had accumulated in Iraq. This is always the best medicine, even though the prescription is not always followed.
As we landed at Westover the air was filled with electricity. It was as if every Marine wanted to drive the bus to get there a little faster. Any doubt as to whether we served a purpose or whether our states stood behind their Marines and sailors quickly vanished. This, in my eyes, was the best medicine yet for Charlie Company: A welcome home to top all welcome homes I had ever seen - and yes, we were home. We were greeted by the Massachusetts State Police and Marine Corps League, who escorted us to the Connecticut state line. As we crossed the border we were passed off to the Connecticut State Police like a baton at a track meet. As we progressed down the road, reading all the banners of support on the overpasses, we were joined by the Enfield and Windsor police, as well as at least 50 motorcycle riders and the Connecticut Rolling Flags. They escorted us into Hartford, where we were met by a chorus of horns and lights from large towing rigs and flatbeds brandishing signs welcoming Charlie Company home. I'm not sure what towing company produced that display, but it was a sight to see as we rolled toward the armory.
As we unloaded the buses outside the armory, you could hear the roar of the crowd inside, as if someone had just hit a grand slam in the World Series. I gave up on giving commands, as there was no way I was beating out the roar of the crowd, but then that says it all as to how the state felt about having us home. It was great to see the Marines and families reunited at long last, and the amount of support that was given to each one. I pray that the support they receive will be all the recovery process they will need to get back to a normal life.
As I prepare to hang up the boots for the last time soon, I know I could not have served with a better bunch of Marines or sailors than the ones that made up Charlie Company. I think they were the Northeast's best-kept secret, for in seven deployments I have never seen such Marines and sailors, nor states stand so strong behind them. I am proud of every one of them as well as every family member and friend who has supported them over the last year. I pass the torch now to the families to watch for the demons that would haunt some men's souls. I have looked for them and not found any, but they can be so tricky, as we know. Look deep into the windows of your loved one's eyes and don't let the demons fool you nor him. I will always be around, watching over them, if I am needed. Until then I will be with the love of my life, my dream girl, sitting under the stars. If you listen on the wind at night, you may still hear the music as it plays, for there is no greater country than our America.
For a full report on Charlie Company and the war in Iraq, visit www.courant.com/iraq.
Ellie