WOOHOO!!!!

OK!! We landed about 1030 or so yesterday and true to the news article that xplnyrslf referred to, we got our weapons and other equipment turned in at Davis Monthan (its a by-serial number process, so that took a hot sec or two)...boarded buses and headed southeast to Fort Huachuca....after 15 months of looking at nothing but Al Asad Air Base, Victory Base and a bleak desert landscape, the sight of the Huachuca Mountains in the absolute beautiful sunny blue skies was liberating...as we got into Sierra Vista, there were lots of people on each side of the road waving flags and welcoming us home....right outside of post we picked up an escort from the American Legion Motorcycle Riders group to the gym , went in, got our "HOOAH, good job" speech from our commanding general, got dismissed and the reunion began..... I wandered the gym floor for a while because there had to be close to 750-800 people all doing the same thing...looking for their peeps!! I finally saw my son and got my hugs and stuff from the wife and kids...she got me a teddy bear with mylar "welcome home" ballons, which totally wrecked my tough guy image with my platoon......we were still under the "no drinking" proviso from downrange last night because of the risk of someone going out and doing dumb-shit the first night back, but its lifted now....for the next week or so, we'll be working half-days, going thru what the Army terms "re-integration training", which is some classes dealing with everything from spousal relations to sexual assault and domestic/child abuse that unfortunately happens when we get back from long deployments like this....after that, until I go on leave, I'll be getting back into the garrison mindset and reestablishing my office and stuff....

Goes without saying but DAMN IT FEELS GOOD AS HELL TO BE HOME!!! Due to the intense jet-lag I slept like a rock, but got a little mornin' love before going to class I also finally got to meet and hold my little nephew, who was born while I was gone...I'm still in the process of taking the load off....its hard work being primarily responsible for so many people's wellbeing ahead of your own in that type of environment...it physically and mentally drains you....so it helped that me and the wife spoke so often and got a lot of our baggage out in the open, so that whatever is lingering can be dealt with....it also helps that my kids are older, so I can tell them more of what we did over there so that they don't feel like I'm holding back on them....all in all, I'm feeling really good that I'll be back to normal (for me) in no time...

So as always, I couldn't have done this without all of the love and support I've gotten from all corners of the Org world...from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU!! All the love in the world to y'all for as long as we all walk the earth....


[Edited 11/9/07 10:46am]

God, it was great to read that. I'm wiping tears.

I cannot express how happy I am to know you're back home. Thank you for everything, Renegade. Breathe easy, breathe deeply!

Wow, so very glad you made it home. Tough guy huh

Enjoy your family now and don't spend too much time with us weirdos on here.

Welcome home my friend.