thedrifter
05-01-09, 07:30 AM
A hero comes home
By MIKE RUSSO
The fire trucks, police escorts and bagpipers that lined Stewart Avenue in Garden City for the homecoming of 300 Long Island-based Marines on April 10 was like something out of a movie. But for Rosalie McGlynn of Baldwin, nothing mattered more than seeing her son, Greg, a lance corporal with the 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Corps, step off the bus and into her arms after an eight-month tour of duty in Iraq.
"It was very emotional," said Rosalie. "Someone once told me, 'I've been married and I've had kids, but if you've ever gone to a homecoming, it's really something you've never experienced before.'"
Greg, who will turn 26 on May 12, shipped out eight months ago, and was stationed at Al-Asad Air Base in the Al Anbar Province, where he joined about 500 Marines working security detail on and around the base. The lifelong Baldwinite was responsible for searching shipments from other countries to ensure that no hazardous materials made their way onto the base.
Having gone through rigorous training with the Marines, Greg said he adjusted pretty quickly to his new surroundings, and easily acclimated himself to the geography, weather and the Iraqi people. "The people were very compliant," he said. "They were happy that there was a military presence there. The majority of people were very nice and very welcoming."
McGlynn said he was particularly impressed with how Iraqis took advantage of their new freedoms after the removal of Saddam Hussein's regime. "Just seeing them all come together, selling jewelry or clothes to make a dollar," said McGlynn of the Iraqi people. "It's something they probably couldn't have done a couple years ago when Saddam Hussein was in power."
It was unfortunate, McGlynn said, that his battalion didn't see much action, because the Marines were looking to do some fighting, but he added that the lack of action is a testament to the job American forces are doing. He said that he has seen firsthand the Iraqi people coming together to take care of one another, and was somewhat disappointed at the lack of media coverage of more positive stories about Iraq.
"There's so many good things happening," McGlynn said. "It's pretty much the opposite of what it was a couple years ago. As we step down, [the Iraqis] are stepping up, and you definitely saw that."
His mother said she was happy that Greg didn't see much combat. While she is no stranger to members of the family taking part in military service - her father was in the Army and her nephew in the Navy - Rosalie said she was taken aback by her son's decision to join the Marines, because he was pursuing a degree in political science at Hofstra University, but she was proud of his decision nonetheless.
"When he decided to go, I was like, 'No way!'" Rosalie said. "I just thought he'd go a different way because he was going to college. But I was very proud of him to do what he wanted to do, since 9/11 and everything. It was really a great thing. But the Marines?"
Rosalie said Greg was able to call home at least twice a week, which made it easier to deal with his absence. But like any mother, she said, she worried. Even his homecoming was nerve-racking, Rosalie said, because his flight from Iraq included stops in Kuwait, Ireland, Maine and California. "It's just great having him home," she said. "What he did for his country was great, and I'm just so happy he's here."
Greg's former schools, Meadow and Baldwin Middle School, supported his battalion during his time in Iraq, sending cards, letters, candy and toothbrushes.
For the next few months, during the demobilization process, he explained, he will report to a Garden City recruiting center to help train new recruits. He said he will most likely take on an internship in the office of U.S. Rep. Peter King this summer before returning to Hofstra in the fall, and added that he would like to be a congressman himself someday.
Reflecting on his time in the Marine Corps, Greg said he realizes how lucky he is to have been a part of it. He considers it a huge steppingstone for his career, and serving his country has given him a sense of accomplishment. "Some people spend their entire lives wondering if they made a difference in someone's life. Marines don't have that problem," he said. "It's true. The three and a half years I've been in [the Marines], I've definitely seen it and realized it."
Comments about this story? MRusso@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
Ellie
By MIKE RUSSO
The fire trucks, police escorts and bagpipers that lined Stewart Avenue in Garden City for the homecoming of 300 Long Island-based Marines on April 10 was like something out of a movie. But for Rosalie McGlynn of Baldwin, nothing mattered more than seeing her son, Greg, a lance corporal with the 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Corps, step off the bus and into her arms after an eight-month tour of duty in Iraq.
"It was very emotional," said Rosalie. "Someone once told me, 'I've been married and I've had kids, but if you've ever gone to a homecoming, it's really something you've never experienced before.'"
Greg, who will turn 26 on May 12, shipped out eight months ago, and was stationed at Al-Asad Air Base in the Al Anbar Province, where he joined about 500 Marines working security detail on and around the base. The lifelong Baldwinite was responsible for searching shipments from other countries to ensure that no hazardous materials made their way onto the base.
Having gone through rigorous training with the Marines, Greg said he adjusted pretty quickly to his new surroundings, and easily acclimated himself to the geography, weather and the Iraqi people. "The people were very compliant," he said. "They were happy that there was a military presence there. The majority of people were very nice and very welcoming."
McGlynn said he was particularly impressed with how Iraqis took advantage of their new freedoms after the removal of Saddam Hussein's regime. "Just seeing them all come together, selling jewelry or clothes to make a dollar," said McGlynn of the Iraqi people. "It's something they probably couldn't have done a couple years ago when Saddam Hussein was in power."
It was unfortunate, McGlynn said, that his battalion didn't see much action, because the Marines were looking to do some fighting, but he added that the lack of action is a testament to the job American forces are doing. He said that he has seen firsthand the Iraqi people coming together to take care of one another, and was somewhat disappointed at the lack of media coverage of more positive stories about Iraq.
"There's so many good things happening," McGlynn said. "It's pretty much the opposite of what it was a couple years ago. As we step down, [the Iraqis] are stepping up, and you definitely saw that."
His mother said she was happy that Greg didn't see much combat. While she is no stranger to members of the family taking part in military service - her father was in the Army and her nephew in the Navy - Rosalie said she was taken aback by her son's decision to join the Marines, because he was pursuing a degree in political science at Hofstra University, but she was proud of his decision nonetheless.
"When he decided to go, I was like, 'No way!'" Rosalie said. "I just thought he'd go a different way because he was going to college. But I was very proud of him to do what he wanted to do, since 9/11 and everything. It was really a great thing. But the Marines?"
Rosalie said Greg was able to call home at least twice a week, which made it easier to deal with his absence. But like any mother, she said, she worried. Even his homecoming was nerve-racking, Rosalie said, because his flight from Iraq included stops in Kuwait, Ireland, Maine and California. "It's just great having him home," she said. "What he did for his country was great, and I'm just so happy he's here."
Greg's former schools, Meadow and Baldwin Middle School, supported his battalion during his time in Iraq, sending cards, letters, candy and toothbrushes.
For the next few months, during the demobilization process, he explained, he will report to a Garden City recruiting center to help train new recruits. He said he will most likely take on an internship in the office of U.S. Rep. Peter King this summer before returning to Hofstra in the fall, and added that he would like to be a congressman himself someday.
Reflecting on his time in the Marine Corps, Greg said he realizes how lucky he is to have been a part of it. He considers it a huge steppingstone for his career, and serving his country has given him a sense of accomplishment. "Some people spend their entire lives wondering if they made a difference in someone's life. Marines don't have that problem," he said. "It's true. The three and a half years I've been in [the Marines], I've definitely seen it and realized it."
Comments about this story? MRusso@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
Ellie