'My boy's home'
A family celebrates their Marine's return to Henrico from Iraq

Sunday, Jun 03, 2007 - 12:08 AM Updated: 02:01 AM

By DAVID RESS
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

When he left for the Marine Corps' Parris Island four years ago, Steven Burns' neighbors along Brookstone Lane in western Henrico County gathered to see him off. They sang the "Marines' Hymn."

When the sergeant came home yesterday, after an eight-month deployment in Iraq, they gathered again. There were hot dogs, hamburgers and beer. Hugs and hearty, happy claps on backs.

Big grins.

And relief.

"Oh," said former neighbor Sandy Logh. "When I heard he was going into the Marines, I was like: Noooo!"

"I'm back," Burns said softly, patting her on her shoulder. "It's all right."

The neighbors hung a huge American flag where a wall of dark pines marks the end of Brookstone Lane. They stuck 3-inch-by-5-inch flags and red, white and blue pinwheels at 4-yard intervals the entire length of the street.

Family, friends, former neighbors, even former girlfriends came.

"I invited the world. My boy's home," a beaming Jim Burns said.

The phone calls every couple of weeks and the regular e-mails were reassuring, though it is tough for a father not to worry, he said.

"So relieved. Oh my God. So glad he's here," stepmom Michelle said.

The neighborhood had watched Steven grow up -- the family moved from New York to Henrico in 1989, and plenty of neighbors remembered, positioning their hands palm down at knee level, how small he was.

"He's finally home, he's finally home," said neighbor Debbie Palmer, one of dozens who remembers that little boy. "God, to hug him is good. That first hug was awesome. . . .

"When he left, I said, 'Steven, make sure you're keeping your head down.' And when he'd call, I'd say, 'You keeping your head down?' And he said, 'Yes ma'am.'"

Burns left to join the Corps five days after graduating from Mills E. Godwin High School in 2003.

His chemistry teacher from his junior year, Mary Cirillo, organized Godwin's 10th-grade class to send care packages. A family friend's second-grader got the entire grade at Pearson's Corner Elementary School in Mechanicsville to send lip balm, toothpaste and candies that were impossible to find in Iraq. In the end, they sent 800 pounds worth.

Burns, 22, and the squad of a dozen Marines he led made it through their tour in Ramadi intact, he said. They patrolled the streets, dealt with snipers and helped bring calm.

"I believe we changed that little city," he said. "I think we can change that whole place if we took a little time and got support from everybody here."

Now that he's back, Burns said he hopes to join the Henrico County Police after he is discharged this month. He and high school classmate Nick Tuzzo, sharing a laugh about Burns' green Ford Taurus from high school days, want to be in the same academy class together.

Shorter term, he plans to relax a bit this summer. He'll start out -- his friends say typically enough -- by going for a run.

"It's a little funny to be back in the states," he said, smiling. "Kind of slowing down, to not be shot at every day."

Contact staff writer David Ress at dress @timesdispatch.com or (804) 649-6051.

Ellie