South Bend Company B's Marines Will Be Home Soon

[thedrifter]

Posted: 6:48 PM Mar 11, 2007
Last Updated: 7:01 PM Mar 11, 2007
Reporter: Marcie Kobriger
Email Address: Marcie.Kobriger@wndu.com
South Bend Company B's Marines Will Be Home Soon

Family of South Bend's Company B Marines gather once every month to hear the latest news from Iraq, and to show support for each other while their loved ones fight a war. Lance Corporal Matt Kovelenko’s mother Mary says, “We've never missed one meeting. We've come to every single one and they've been wonderful.“It keeps you in touch, you're not alone. You know what's going on.”

“This has been our support to see everyone every week,” explains Jessica Lanzen.

Sunday, the group met for the last time to prepare for their Marines homecoming.

Company B is expected home before the end of the month.

Corporal Nathan Lanzen was married in April and deployed in August.

His wife Jessica says she cannot wait for him to get home.
“I don't think it's a reality to me yet. The thought of it's exciting, but it hasn't actually hit me that he's going to actually be home, and stay home.”

Company B has been stationed near Alanbar since august.

It is the second time the company has been to Iraq.

Major Celeste Ross says this deployment has been much more difficult than 2003's march into Baghdad. “We lost a Marine in October, we had four Marines come home injured. So there's been a lot more damage to the company. The stress had been much much more than it was last time.”

They are not home yet, but families say they are relieved an end is in sight, and now they are getting ready for the Marines to come home.

Veronica Collmen says, “My hero is Corporal Martin, and I love him. I'm very proud of him, and he definitely is my hero.”

Corporal Aaron Seal of Elkhart is the company's only casualty.

Seal was killed by sniper fire near Baghdad in October.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Family Anxious for Injured Company B Marine to Come Home
by Jeff Shafer (shafer@wsbt.com)

(WSBT) An Indiana family is among the many who feel a homecoming for Company B Marines serving in Iraq can't come soon enough.

The unit is expected home in two weeks. Yet the family of Staff Seargent Kain Holland is happy he is back in the United States now.

He's a native of Peru Indiana. His family there says he is in good spirits.

Jane Holland said her son escaped with his life in a detonation explosion during an operation in Iraq.

It happened more than a week ago.

Although shrapnel tore though his leg, his family is simply happy he's back in the U.S. after they spent so much time worrying about the worst.

"You're wondering is it going to be yours next. Through the years, it just happens, you hear 'Oh they were due to get out' or 'They were gone a couple of days -- boom," Jane Holland told WSBT News.

Meanwhile, the rising number of U.S. soldiers killed and injured overseas is once again stirring up controversy in Washington. Just last week, President Bush requested more troops be sent to Iraq, but some Democratic opponents say we should be pulling troops out instead of sending more.

U.S. Senator Evan Bayh told WSBT News Iraqis are not doing their part to live together peacefully. He also said we need to stop giving them unlimited troops and money.

“If the Iraqis are willing to make the commitment, then perhaps we can add more troops,” he said Monday. But until we can make that commitment, I think adding more American troops would be the wrong thing to do.”

Bayh wants to set a target date to determine when troops should start coming home for good. He said this could be done by setting a series of benchmark goals for the Iraqi government to meet.

Ellie