thedrifter
03-11-07, 08:00 AM
Happy homecoming buoys spirits
80 reservists return to Orlando from deployment in Middle East
Claudia Zequeira | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted March 11, 2007
Traci Payne recalled that seeing her husband ship out to the Middle East had not frightened her. After all, Todd Payne works for the Orange County Sheriff's Office and was used to risking his life, she said.
But that didn't make his absence easy.
"I wasn't as concerned about the risk factors," said the 40-year-old mother of two. "But I missed the support a lot. I was more concerned with having to run a household all by myself."
On Saturday, all the waiting and strain ended for the Paynes.
Todd Payne was part of a group of about 80 Navy Reserve sailors who received a hero's welcome Saturday in Orlando after 10 months of service. The group, members of the Orlando-based Embarked Security Detachment 222, enjoyed a happy reunion with their families at the Navy Operational Support Center.
The sailors, many of whom come from law-enforcement backgrounds, had helped protect maritime forces in the Arabian Gulf, the Suez Canal and Straits of Hormuz, among other places, Navy officials said. They also trained active-duty members assigned to the region, participating in 28 missions that involved defending non-combat ships carrying everything from fuel to weapons platforms.
"This is definitely a modern, terrorist-type response," said Rear Adm. Jamie Barnett, deputy commander of the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, based in Little Creek, Va. "Ninety percent of what we send over there goes by ship."
Commanding Officer Greg Smith with the Navy Operational Support Center said about 430 reservists have been deployed from the center in the nearly six years since the Sept. 11 attacks, providing much-needed relief to the U.S. Army.
"Our reservists are working in hospitals. They're building stuff; they're chaplains with the Marines," he said. "They're pretty much doing everything."
Led by Lt. Cmdr. Grace Peek, the ESD 222 was the first expeditionary security detachment on the East Coast deployed to fight in recent years, officials said.
Such units were created following the 2000 attack against the USS Cole. Seventeen sailors died when al-Qaeda operatives bombed the missile destroyer while the ship was harbored in Yemen.
On Saturday, however, the sweetness and joy of a long-awaited reunion overshadowed the reality of war.
A large American flag hoisted by firetruck ladders welcomed the group to the sound of a military band. Sailors heard thank-yous from their commanders and Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary as the relatives waited anxiously.
Small groups of veterans showed up to support the returning sailors, many with flags in their hands.
"I'm here to welcome these people . . . to thank them for serving their country," said Marian Roberts, president of Chapter 173 of the Korean War Veterans Association. "I can't go, so I'm glad they're taking our place. If I was younger, I'd be there."
A man hoisted a young girl with a butterfly painted on her face as high as he could so she could watch. Another man kept pointing fingers at a relative so other family members could spot him.
And then the order of release came.
Quickly, sailors scattered, looking for their loved ones. Relatives yelled out names. Then embraces came, with many tears immediately following.
The tour of duty is not quite over for the sailors. They were given four days to spend with their families before returning to Norfolk, Va., for a weeklong demobilization that will include medical screenings and debriefings.
After that, they'll be coming home again. Saturday's reunion marked the start of their return to civilian life.
"I'm very, very happy to see them," said Hector Nieves, a returning sailor and Orange deputy sheriff, after hugging Esther, his wife of 17 years, and his 5-year-old son Nikolas.
"The hardest thing about being deployed is being separated from family."
Claudia Zequeira can be reached at 407-931-5934 or czequeira@orlandosentinel.com.
Ellie
80 reservists return to Orlando from deployment in Middle East
Claudia Zequeira | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted March 11, 2007
Traci Payne recalled that seeing her husband ship out to the Middle East had not frightened her. After all, Todd Payne works for the Orange County Sheriff's Office and was used to risking his life, she said.
But that didn't make his absence easy.
"I wasn't as concerned about the risk factors," said the 40-year-old mother of two. "But I missed the support a lot. I was more concerned with having to run a household all by myself."
On Saturday, all the waiting and strain ended for the Paynes.
Todd Payne was part of a group of about 80 Navy Reserve sailors who received a hero's welcome Saturday in Orlando after 10 months of service. The group, members of the Orlando-based Embarked Security Detachment 222, enjoyed a happy reunion with their families at the Navy Operational Support Center.
The sailors, many of whom come from law-enforcement backgrounds, had helped protect maritime forces in the Arabian Gulf, the Suez Canal and Straits of Hormuz, among other places, Navy officials said. They also trained active-duty members assigned to the region, participating in 28 missions that involved defending non-combat ships carrying everything from fuel to weapons platforms.
"This is definitely a modern, terrorist-type response," said Rear Adm. Jamie Barnett, deputy commander of the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, based in Little Creek, Va. "Ninety percent of what we send over there goes by ship."
Commanding Officer Greg Smith with the Navy Operational Support Center said about 430 reservists have been deployed from the center in the nearly six years since the Sept. 11 attacks, providing much-needed relief to the U.S. Army.
"Our reservists are working in hospitals. They're building stuff; they're chaplains with the Marines," he said. "They're pretty much doing everything."
Led by Lt. Cmdr. Grace Peek, the ESD 222 was the first expeditionary security detachment on the East Coast deployed to fight in recent years, officials said.
Such units were created following the 2000 attack against the USS Cole. Seventeen sailors died when al-Qaeda operatives bombed the missile destroyer while the ship was harbored in Yemen.
On Saturday, however, the sweetness and joy of a long-awaited reunion overshadowed the reality of war.
A large American flag hoisted by firetruck ladders welcomed the group to the sound of a military band. Sailors heard thank-yous from their commanders and Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary as the relatives waited anxiously.
Small groups of veterans showed up to support the returning sailors, many with flags in their hands.
"I'm here to welcome these people . . . to thank them for serving their country," said Marian Roberts, president of Chapter 173 of the Korean War Veterans Association. "I can't go, so I'm glad they're taking our place. If I was younger, I'd be there."
A man hoisted a young girl with a butterfly painted on her face as high as he could so she could watch. Another man kept pointing fingers at a relative so other family members could spot him.
And then the order of release came.
Quickly, sailors scattered, looking for their loved ones. Relatives yelled out names. Then embraces came, with many tears immediately following.
The tour of duty is not quite over for the sailors. They were given four days to spend with their families before returning to Norfolk, Va., for a weeklong demobilization that will include medical screenings and debriefings.
After that, they'll be coming home again. Saturday's reunion marked the start of their return to civilian life.
"I'm very, very happy to see them," said Hector Nieves, a returning sailor and Orange deputy sheriff, after hugging Esther, his wife of 17 years, and his 5-year-old son Nikolas.
"The hardest thing about being deployed is being separated from family."
Claudia Zequeira can be reached at 407-931-5934 or czequeira@orlandosentinel.com.
Ellie