thedrifter
10-23-07, 07:09 AM
2/6 back home after 7 months
JENNIFER HLAD
October 23, 2007 - 12:59AM
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Monday was a bittersweet day for the Marines of 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, as hundreds of families welcomed their loved ones back with open arms, while remembering the three who died during the deployment.
The seven-month deployment to Fallujah, Iraq, was Lance Cpl. Sean Godfrey's first.
"It's a crazy feeling," he said shortly after stepping off the bus. "It was the best time of my life, the worst time of my life, the saddest time of my life, the time I've been the most angry. It's just unreal. There's nothing like it on this planet."
Godfrey was welcomed home by his parents, Michael and Mary Godfrey, who brought a sign handmade by children in their neighborhood near Pittsburg.
Michael Godfrey said the family had a rule while Sean was deployed: "He didn't ask us about work, and we didn't ask him about work."
Still, Michael Godfrey said, "he was comfortable being over there. He felt ... he was doing the right thing."
"Sean told us, he would rather fight the war over there than fight it on our soil," he said.
During the unit's time in Fallujah, the Marines and sailors worked heavily with Iraqi security forces - mainly Iraqi police, said Capt. Brian Greene, the unit's operations officer.
"We were able to see some measure of our success," he said.
The Marines separated Fallujah into neighborhoods and "swarmed" the areas, he said, putting barriers in, giving the residents food and starting neighborhood watches. They also established Joint Security Stations with Iraqi police and Marines in each neighborhood, Greene said.
"It is a safer place," he said.
The deployment was the second for Temi Brown's husband, but the first since the couple has had children. Brown has three sons - including one baby boy born not quite three months ago.
"It was very emotional," Brown said.
Having the baby while her husband was gone was difficult for her, she said, but also for her husband.
"He said it was hard not to be able to hold your baby," she said. "Seeing pictures is nothing compared to being here."
The deployment was also the second to Iraq for Jill Logan's husband, Capt. Chuck Hawthorne. This one, she said, went by more quickly than the last, yearlong deployment.
Still, she said, the first week and last week are the most difficult.
At first, she said, it's the immediate transition - returning home "and there's some of his clothes still in the dirty clothes (hamper), and his empty cereal bowl is still in the sink."
The last week is a rush of emotions as the spouses hurry to get everything ready for the return, she said.
Brown agreed.
"The last week is the hardest," she said. "It drags. There are so many feelings running through you ... anxious, happy, nervous."
Sgt. Maj. Michael Lane did not see his family Monday - they live in South Carolina - but said he looks forward to seeing them soon.
"Deployments are never easy on the families," he said, but "they are really supportive."
Now, he said, the Marines can focus on getting back to normal life, and preparing for another tour of duty. The majority of the Marines will return to Iraq next summer, he said.
Contact military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 8467. To comment on this story, visit www.jdnews.com.
Ellie
JENNIFER HLAD
October 23, 2007 - 12:59AM
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Monday was a bittersweet day for the Marines of 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, as hundreds of families welcomed their loved ones back with open arms, while remembering the three who died during the deployment.
The seven-month deployment to Fallujah, Iraq, was Lance Cpl. Sean Godfrey's first.
"It's a crazy feeling," he said shortly after stepping off the bus. "It was the best time of my life, the worst time of my life, the saddest time of my life, the time I've been the most angry. It's just unreal. There's nothing like it on this planet."
Godfrey was welcomed home by his parents, Michael and Mary Godfrey, who brought a sign handmade by children in their neighborhood near Pittsburg.
Michael Godfrey said the family had a rule while Sean was deployed: "He didn't ask us about work, and we didn't ask him about work."
Still, Michael Godfrey said, "he was comfortable being over there. He felt ... he was doing the right thing."
"Sean told us, he would rather fight the war over there than fight it on our soil," he said.
During the unit's time in Fallujah, the Marines and sailors worked heavily with Iraqi security forces - mainly Iraqi police, said Capt. Brian Greene, the unit's operations officer.
"We were able to see some measure of our success," he said.
The Marines separated Fallujah into neighborhoods and "swarmed" the areas, he said, putting barriers in, giving the residents food and starting neighborhood watches. They also established Joint Security Stations with Iraqi police and Marines in each neighborhood, Greene said.
"It is a safer place," he said.
The deployment was the second for Temi Brown's husband, but the first since the couple has had children. Brown has three sons - including one baby boy born not quite three months ago.
"It was very emotional," Brown said.
Having the baby while her husband was gone was difficult for her, she said, but also for her husband.
"He said it was hard not to be able to hold your baby," she said. "Seeing pictures is nothing compared to being here."
The deployment was also the second to Iraq for Jill Logan's husband, Capt. Chuck Hawthorne. This one, she said, went by more quickly than the last, yearlong deployment.
Still, she said, the first week and last week are the most difficult.
At first, she said, it's the immediate transition - returning home "and there's some of his clothes still in the dirty clothes (hamper), and his empty cereal bowl is still in the sink."
The last week is a rush of emotions as the spouses hurry to get everything ready for the return, she said.
Brown agreed.
"The last week is the hardest," she said. "It drags. There are so many feelings running through you ... anxious, happy, nervous."
Sgt. Maj. Michael Lane did not see his family Monday - they live in South Carolina - but said he looks forward to seeing them soon.
"Deployments are never easy on the families," he said, but "they are really supportive."
Now, he said, the Marines can focus on getting back to normal life, and preparing for another tour of duty. The majority of the Marines will return to Iraq next summer, he said.
Contact military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 8467. To comment on this story, visit www.jdnews.com.
Ellie