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Cameron Minter, 5, of Hampton, waits for the bus carrying his uncle, Sgt. William 'Uncle Brad' Minter.
Dolores Smith (center) and Ruth Smith of Bluemont welcome Ruth's grandson, Spc. Charles Kincheloe, and his comrades back to Fredericksburg.
Battalion members participate in a homecoming ceremony at the Fredericksburg National Guard Armory yesterday before being released to their families.
Sgt. Arthur Price hugs his wife, Denise, at the Fredericksburg National Guard Armory after a ceremony
Spc. Gregory Hey is greeted by his sisters Madison Baxter, 10, Sgt. Shawn Brown and other members of Alpha Company 116th Brigade Special Troops Battalion returned to Fredericksburg after being deployed to Iraq. |
By RUSTY DENNEN
Clutching American flags, Barbara and Gary Wright and their 5-year-old granddaughter, Noel, stood on a downtown Fredericksburg corner yesterday with about a dozen others who had brought signs saying "Thank You" and "Welcome Home."
Along Princess Anne Street--from the Veterans of Foreign Wars post near U.S. 1 to downtown--clusters of people waited to cheer buses carrying 160 soldiers with the Virginia Army National Guard's
"We have a son in the Marines, who is in Iraq," said Wright, waiting for the buses to arrive from Fort Dix, their first stop in the states since leaving the Middle East last week.
"This is the biggest thing--for people to show support for the troops," Barbara added.
"This makes me think of Scott, my uncle," Noel said of her favorite Marine.
Clyde Hamrick and Margaret Niemann--both Virginia Department of Transportation workers in Spot-sylvania County--took their lunch time to be part of the unofficial welcoming committee.
Hamrick, 65, served in the guard unit, part of the 29th Infantry Division, and on active duty.
"We're proud of them, and that they are coming home alive," he said.
Niemann's daughter, Melinda, 24, flies helicopters for the Army in Florida and will soon be heading overseas.
Niemann said that though she has no direct connection with the returning soldiers, "I'm doing this for her; for everybody in the military."
Rebecca Semeia, 24, a University of Mary Washington student, sat outside Hyperion Espresso with others who had gathered under a canopy.
"I have friends who are in the service--my grandfather and father served. I'm showing my respect," she said.
The soldiers, mostly from the Fredericksburg area and Northern Virginia, are assigned to Fredericksburg Armory. They left for training at Fort Dix, N.J., January 2007 and served in combat and support roles in Iraq.
Around 1 p.m.--an hour later than expected--police sirens and motorcycle escorts announced the arrival of the buses, which had left New Jersey around 8:30 a.m.
Shouts and cheers rose up from the well-wishers as the convoy slowly rolled by.
The buses then headed for the armory. There, the troops got in formation and marched to the entrance where hundreds of family members and friends were waiting with more signs and cheers.
Among those inside were Fredericksburg Mayor Tom Tomzak, who welcomed them home, proclaiming Sunday, May 18, as a day to honor them.
Leesburg Mayor Kristeen Umstattd, said, "Because of your service, our families are able to stay together. We owe you." About 30 of the soldiers are from Leesburg.
The soldiers will be back at the armory today for processing, and then will have time off until their next drill, coming up in the spring.
With the ceremony out of the way, the soldiers made a beeline to loved ones.
Capt. Lawrence Yacubian embraced his wife, Nina. The couple live in Marshall in Fauquier County.
Their daughter Lily was born while he was in Iraq. He got to come home and see her on a brief leave.
"To be blunt, I'm not for the war," Nina said. "I'm glad he's alive, he's home, and it's over."
Yacubian's unit worked with the elements of the 82nd Airborne Division, in combat engineering and troop-protection roles.
"The deployment was excellent, and there were high expectations," Yacubian said. "To finally get home it's a sense of relief."
Rusty Dennen: 540/374-5431
Email: rdennen@freelancestar.com
| Returning troops need time with their loved ones.
Specifically, a romantic night together, says Bonnie DeLelys, innkeeper of the Richard Johnston Inn on Caroline Street. The inn is offering its seven plush rooms to the troops Tuesday and Wednesday nights--free. It's first-come, DeLelys said she got a call from a spouse who wanted to reserve a room. "Then I thought, 'Why not give it to them free.' I think every business should do something for the boys coming home. People may not agree with the war and the president, but we've got to support the troops." The inn, at 711 Caroline St., --Rusty Dennen
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