thedrifter
12-20-07, 08:02 AM
Home sweet home: Union County man among Marines lredy for time on leave
By GARRET MATHEWS
, Courier & Press staff
mathewsg@courierpress.com
Thursday, December 20, 2007
EVANSVILLE -- Three Tri-State Marines who saw duty in Iraq flew home Wednesday afternoon for three weeks of post-deployment leave. They'll reacquaint themselves to hot water. They'll relax with friends. And one, Cpl. Jared Wagner, will feast on his mother's chicken and dumplings.
"That lady (his mother, Debbie) is some kind of cook," said the 23-year-old Evansville man.
Family members hugged the returnees and grabbed their duffel bags. But the welcoming party also included several dozen strangers who stood outside Evansville Regional Airport to cheer the troops. Several waved flags and honked their car horns.
Wagner said the homecoming was "indescribable. I heard a little about what might happen when we landed, but this was a lot more than I expected." Cpl. Nick Meeks, his buddy from Reitz High School in Evansville, was in the travel party, as was Cpl. Derek French of Uniontown. All three are members of the First Battalion, Third Marine Division that's based in Kanoeha Bay, Hawaii. They were in Iraq from March through October. Their unit had no fatalities.
Meeks, who played football at Reitz, was stationed in Haditha in Al-Anbar Province where he was a squad leader of a foot-patrol unit.
"Believe it or not, Iraq is not as bad as you think," Meeks said. "The locals told us about a lot of explosive devices and we found them before they could be detonated. Only one went off while I was on patrol and I was a thousand meters away from it." Meeks said many members of his unit, including himself, lived in a neighborhood in Haditha.
"The idea was to get to know the people. We had what we called 'meet and greets' at least once a day when we would ask for the man of the house and ask what we could do to improve the situation." Meeks learned that the leaders of many families had been executed by insurgents.
"We handed out a lot of food that we got from home and we also ate at their tables. The idea was to build relationships." He plans to "put myself in a quiet place" during the three-week furlough and "get used to eating regular meals. Marines on deployment don't worry about the quality of life -- and that includes food. It's the mission that comes first."
French, 22, joined the Marines in June of 2004. He plans to extend his service time to April of 2009.
"Once you are there, you see it is for a good cause. You want to be with your guys." French said he spent a lot of time on "morale runs. We went to where the Marines were and asked if they needed anything. We also helped Iraqi people who needed to move from one house to another." He expects to spend his off-duty time with his family and maybe go hunting.
"Then we'll go back to Hawaii and wait for the next deployment." Wagner and Meeks have been together since boot camp. Their enlistments end in October of 2008.
"I might extend," said Wagner, who played football and basketball at Reitz. "You get double-pay because it's in a hazard zone. I could come back with something like $20,000 that I could use to get a civilian life started." He plans to spend the holidays "de-stressing. In the Marines, you're always occupied. You come home to a relaxed situation and it's a tough adjustment."
Initially, Wagner's job in Iraq was that of mortar man, "but that ended because of all the collateral damage. I ended up being a bodyguard for the battalion commander when they met with the local sheiks. I stood outside the room and listened in. It was pretty cool."
Jeannie Browning-Hester was one of several flag-wavers in front of the airport. She's the daughter of Charlie Browning, the longtime Evansville funeral home operator who died earlier this month.
"If Dad was alive, he'd be front and center with a flag," she said. "Patriotism was exhibited in all walks of his life. He would have introduced himself to every soldier who came off the plane and thanked them."
About two dozen members of the Patriot Guard Riders acted as a welcoming committee. It's a national group of motorcyclists that acts as an unofficial honor guard when military personnel return from deployments.
Glen Westphal participated in the ride, although he isn't a member of the Patriot Guard.
"I read about the event in the newspaper and wanted to show support for the troops. They do a lot for us. Coming out here with my motorcycle isn't asking all that much."
Ellie
By GARRET MATHEWS
, Courier & Press staff
mathewsg@courierpress.com
Thursday, December 20, 2007
EVANSVILLE -- Three Tri-State Marines who saw duty in Iraq flew home Wednesday afternoon for three weeks of post-deployment leave. They'll reacquaint themselves to hot water. They'll relax with friends. And one, Cpl. Jared Wagner, will feast on his mother's chicken and dumplings.
"That lady (his mother, Debbie) is some kind of cook," said the 23-year-old Evansville man.
Family members hugged the returnees and grabbed their duffel bags. But the welcoming party also included several dozen strangers who stood outside Evansville Regional Airport to cheer the troops. Several waved flags and honked their car horns.
Wagner said the homecoming was "indescribable. I heard a little about what might happen when we landed, but this was a lot more than I expected." Cpl. Nick Meeks, his buddy from Reitz High School in Evansville, was in the travel party, as was Cpl. Derek French of Uniontown. All three are members of the First Battalion, Third Marine Division that's based in Kanoeha Bay, Hawaii. They were in Iraq from March through October. Their unit had no fatalities.
Meeks, who played football at Reitz, was stationed in Haditha in Al-Anbar Province where he was a squad leader of a foot-patrol unit.
"Believe it or not, Iraq is not as bad as you think," Meeks said. "The locals told us about a lot of explosive devices and we found them before they could be detonated. Only one went off while I was on patrol and I was a thousand meters away from it." Meeks said many members of his unit, including himself, lived in a neighborhood in Haditha.
"The idea was to get to know the people. We had what we called 'meet and greets' at least once a day when we would ask for the man of the house and ask what we could do to improve the situation." Meeks learned that the leaders of many families had been executed by insurgents.
"We handed out a lot of food that we got from home and we also ate at their tables. The idea was to build relationships." He plans to "put myself in a quiet place" during the three-week furlough and "get used to eating regular meals. Marines on deployment don't worry about the quality of life -- and that includes food. It's the mission that comes first."
French, 22, joined the Marines in June of 2004. He plans to extend his service time to April of 2009.
"Once you are there, you see it is for a good cause. You want to be with your guys." French said he spent a lot of time on "morale runs. We went to where the Marines were and asked if they needed anything. We also helped Iraqi people who needed to move from one house to another." He expects to spend his off-duty time with his family and maybe go hunting.
"Then we'll go back to Hawaii and wait for the next deployment." Wagner and Meeks have been together since boot camp. Their enlistments end in October of 2008.
"I might extend," said Wagner, who played football and basketball at Reitz. "You get double-pay because it's in a hazard zone. I could come back with something like $20,000 that I could use to get a civilian life started." He plans to spend the holidays "de-stressing. In the Marines, you're always occupied. You come home to a relaxed situation and it's a tough adjustment."
Initially, Wagner's job in Iraq was that of mortar man, "but that ended because of all the collateral damage. I ended up being a bodyguard for the battalion commander when they met with the local sheiks. I stood outside the room and listened in. It was pretty cool."
Jeannie Browning-Hester was one of several flag-wavers in front of the airport. She's the daughter of Charlie Browning, the longtime Evansville funeral home operator who died earlier this month.
"If Dad was alive, he'd be front and center with a flag," she said. "Patriotism was exhibited in all walks of his life. He would have introduced himself to every soldier who came off the plane and thanked them."
About two dozen members of the Patriot Guard Riders acted as a welcoming committee. It's a national group of motorcyclists that acts as an unofficial honor guard when military personnel return from deployments.
Glen Westphal participated in the ride, although he isn't a member of the Patriot Guard.
"I read about the event in the newspaper and wanted to show support for the troops. They do a lot for us. Coming out here with my motorcycle isn't asking all that much."
Ellie