thedrifter
12-26-06, 03:18 PM
Christmas delivers long-awaited reunion for military family
WQAD, IL
PEORIA, Ill. Patti Smith waited well over a year for a gift that showed up at her Peoria home just in time for Christmas.
Both of her sons, Marine infantrymen who have served in Iraq, were back home together for the family's traditional holiday lasagna feast and their grandmother's homemade tamales.Smith said the long-awaited reunion was a reminder that Christmas is about loved ones, not gifts and things.The homecoming beat the holidays with just hours to spare. Josey Wenger made it home Saturday, along with his new wife, Kelly. His older brother Jesse came home Thursday after finishing his stint with the Marines.The brothers say months of watching over the unrest in Iraq has given them a new appreciation of the simple pleasures of home, family and friends.
Ellie
WQAD, IL
PEORIA, Ill. Patti Smith waited well over a year for a gift that showed up at her Peoria home just in time for Christmas.
Both of her sons, Marine infantrymen who have served in Iraq, were back home together for the family's traditional holiday lasagna feast and their grandmother's homemade tamales.Smith said the long-awaited reunion was a reminder that Christmas is about loved ones, not gifts and things.The homecoming beat the holidays with just hours to spare. Josey Wenger made it home Saturday, along with his new wife, Kelly. His older brother Jesse came home Thursday after finishing his stint with the Marines.The brothers say months of watching over the unrest in Iraq has given them a new appreciation of the simple pleasures of home, family and friends.
Ellie