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thedrifter
04-16-07, 09:22 AM
Alpha Company coming home

Updated: April 16, 2007 08:54 AM

View photos of Alpha Company members in our Photos Gallery.

www.woodtv.com/Global/link.asp?L=237627&nav=menu44_1

By ANNE SCHIEBER

HUDSONVILLE -- Families in West Michigan are getting ready for a big homecoming in the next couple of weeks. 170 members of the Marine reserve's Alpha Unit will be coming home after a seven-month tour in Iraq.

Alpha Company is the largest unit from West Michigan to serve in Iraq combat.


Sunday, in Hudsonville, the Marines held a gathering for families to help them prepare for the homecoming. Members of the unit have been gone for one year, first in training, followed by their Iraq deployment. This is the second time the unit has been deployed overseas, but the first time in combat. Homecomings are not always warm and fuzzy.


"For some of these Marines, it may take months, or years before they're ready to talk about everything they experienced while they were deployed in combat," said Lt. Col. Joe Rosse. Rosse said a small percentage of soldiers will suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and families will have to be on the lookout for that.

It's been a difficult tour for the unit. Four members died. More than 20 will receive Purple Hearts. Some missed the birth of their children.

"Everyone's held his baby except him, so that's kind of sad. But he's real excited to come home. He can't wait," said Dawn Cook, holding baby Gabriel. Her husband, David has seen pictures of the baby.

He left shortly after Dawn discovered she was pregnant.

Satellite phones and e-mail have allowed families to keep in touch with the Marines about every two weeks. For security reasons, the troops were restricted from revealing too much about their mission.

As difficult as it has been for the Marines, it has been equally hard for the familes. The Szymanski's whose 22-year-old son, Rick is in the unit, say you can never underestimate the anxiety families feel throughout the time.

"You hate to leave the house. You hate to come home. You hate to answer the phone," said Sue Szymanski.

"When someone pulled up, she would say, you go answer the door. I can't handle it," said her husband, Dick.

One thing that has helped is the tight network familes formed with their loved ones left. Sue Szymanski is the main coordinator for the group. They would arrange phone trees so that the families could spread information faster than just relying on the military.

"We try to keep it normal, but it's not. There's a lot of worry. And a lot of prayer, a lot of prayer," says Sue Szymanski.

Ellie

jinelson
04-16-07, 10:00 AM
This is good news indeed as one of our members LCpl Jon Cros (PFCJon) is among this unit and served with Alpha Company 24th Marines. He was a moto Poolee who joined the Corps while he was attending college, of course his education had to be put on hold for this deployment. I had the honor of attending his recruit graduation and spending that proud moment with his mom and grandparents. The only problem I ever had with him was him wanting to be a grunt (no offense to any one) I was encouraging him to be an officer. Maybe it was for the best because he drinks like an enlisted Marine and refuses to be PC lol.

Jim