thedrifter
03-02-09, 07:11 AM
A Christmas celebration worth the wait in Stafford SUPPORT GROUP
March 2, 2009 12:35 am
BY EDIE GROSS
The first time her son came home from Iraq, Melissa McClelland camped out on the front stoop of her Stafford home so she'd spot him as soon as he pulled into the long, gravel driveway.
On Saturday, as her middle child returned from his second tour in Iraq, Melissa adopted a more relaxed approach--pacing around the living room and poking her head out the front door every few minutes to see if he'd finally arrived from Camp Lejeune, N.C.
She managed to wait until he'd thrown his pickup truck into park before bounding out of the house and embracing his 6-foot-3 frame in the front yard.
"I love his hugs the best," she said, beaming.
Lance Cpl. Justin McClelland, 22, was one of several Marines to return to Stafford Saturday after a seven-month tour in Iraq with the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, Charlie Co. Also home on Saturday were Lance Cpl. Lewis Skerry, 22, and Cpl. Donald Lamar, 22.
The men had been back on American soil for a little over a week, but they had to wait until this weekend to leave Camp Lejeune and return to their families.
A Christmas tree awaited McClelland, who spent the holidays--and his last two birthdays--in the desert.
He said his fellow Marines made the best of it, giving each other small gifts from the PX as part of a secret Santa program.
What did he receive? A bag of Fritos.
"You get down because you think, 'What is my family doing right now?'" the 2004 Stafford High School graduate said. "But you've got your buddies there."
One of those buddies is Lamar, who has known McClelland since middle school. Both men wrestled and played football at Stafford High School and later joined the Marines together.
Just back from his second tour in Iraq, Lamar, a sniper, plans to spend some time with his wife and daughter.
Stephanie and Donald Lamar tied the knot at the Jacksonville, N.C., magistrate's office the day after he returned from Iraq. They plan to have a bigger ceremony in May.
Lamar said he's blown away by the changes in his daughter, 18-month-old Madison.
"Before I left, she was an infant," he said. "Now, I come back and she's a toddler. She's running all over the place."
Both Lamar and McClelland are considering re-enlisting. Lamar would like to be a sniper instructor at Quantico, while McClelland is aiming to be a drill instructor.
Lance Cpl. Lewis Skerry, 22, was returning from his first tour in Iraq, said his mother Janet, who made sure he'd know his family missed him.
"We are so excited. We have this huge sign with his picture on it in our front yard," she said.
Skerry, who was homeschooled, operated his own farrier business for several years and even cared for the horses for the Richmond Police Department's mounted force before joining the Marines two years ago, his mother said. His decision wasn't all together unexpected.
"He was either out in the backyard with a cowboy outfit on or in camouflage," she said of his boyhood. "He came to us when he was 20 and he said, 'It's time,' and we said, 'OK.'"
Janet Skerry started a support group for parents whose children are serving overseas. She said it has helped her get through the last few months.
"We're just so proud of him," she said.
Melissa McClelland said it made her feel better to send care packages. She shipped everything from Frisbees and Wiffle balls to socks and scented candles to her son and his buddies.
Coleen Lamar, Donald Lamar's mother, said it was comforting knowing that her son was serving with friends from his hometown.
"They had each other," she said, "so they had a piece of home."
Edie Gross: 540/374-5428
Email: egross@freelancestar.com
Ellie
March 2, 2009 12:35 am
BY EDIE GROSS
The first time her son came home from Iraq, Melissa McClelland camped out on the front stoop of her Stafford home so she'd spot him as soon as he pulled into the long, gravel driveway.
On Saturday, as her middle child returned from his second tour in Iraq, Melissa adopted a more relaxed approach--pacing around the living room and poking her head out the front door every few minutes to see if he'd finally arrived from Camp Lejeune, N.C.
She managed to wait until he'd thrown his pickup truck into park before bounding out of the house and embracing his 6-foot-3 frame in the front yard.
"I love his hugs the best," she said, beaming.
Lance Cpl. Justin McClelland, 22, was one of several Marines to return to Stafford Saturday after a seven-month tour in Iraq with the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, Charlie Co. Also home on Saturday were Lance Cpl. Lewis Skerry, 22, and Cpl. Donald Lamar, 22.
The men had been back on American soil for a little over a week, but they had to wait until this weekend to leave Camp Lejeune and return to their families.
A Christmas tree awaited McClelland, who spent the holidays--and his last two birthdays--in the desert.
He said his fellow Marines made the best of it, giving each other small gifts from the PX as part of a secret Santa program.
What did he receive? A bag of Fritos.
"You get down because you think, 'What is my family doing right now?'" the 2004 Stafford High School graduate said. "But you've got your buddies there."
One of those buddies is Lamar, who has known McClelland since middle school. Both men wrestled and played football at Stafford High School and later joined the Marines together.
Just back from his second tour in Iraq, Lamar, a sniper, plans to spend some time with his wife and daughter.
Stephanie and Donald Lamar tied the knot at the Jacksonville, N.C., magistrate's office the day after he returned from Iraq. They plan to have a bigger ceremony in May.
Lamar said he's blown away by the changes in his daughter, 18-month-old Madison.
"Before I left, she was an infant," he said. "Now, I come back and she's a toddler. She's running all over the place."
Both Lamar and McClelland are considering re-enlisting. Lamar would like to be a sniper instructor at Quantico, while McClelland is aiming to be a drill instructor.
Lance Cpl. Lewis Skerry, 22, was returning from his first tour in Iraq, said his mother Janet, who made sure he'd know his family missed him.
"We are so excited. We have this huge sign with his picture on it in our front yard," she said.
Skerry, who was homeschooled, operated his own farrier business for several years and even cared for the horses for the Richmond Police Department's mounted force before joining the Marines two years ago, his mother said. His decision wasn't all together unexpected.
"He was either out in the backyard with a cowboy outfit on or in camouflage," she said of his boyhood. "He came to us when he was 20 and he said, 'It's time,' and we said, 'OK.'"
Janet Skerry started a support group for parents whose children are serving overseas. She said it has helped her get through the last few months.
"We're just so proud of him," she said.
Melissa McClelland said it made her feel better to send care packages. She shipped everything from Frisbees and Wiffle balls to socks and scented candles to her son and his buddies.
Coleen Lamar, Donald Lamar's mother, said it was comforting knowing that her son was serving with friends from his hometown.
"They had each other," she said, "so they had a piece of home."
Edie Gross: 540/374-5428
Email: egross@freelancestar.com
Ellie