Some great news published in The Birmingham News yesterday, the 128th Medical Company is due to come home near the end of this month. Based out of Ashland, the unit’s mission was mainly transporting hurt and wounded troops to combat support hospitals.
Read the whole article here.
The Clanton Advertiser has a great article this morning about Army Specialist Justin Corn, of Thorsby, who recently returned from Iraq.
Corn believes the U.S. is making a difference in Iraq. In the time he was deployed to Iraq, he saw a big difference in the people from when he arrived to when he left.
A great story, and a poignant reminder of why it’s so important that we support our men and women in uniform!
Because he was in a remote location of Iraq, Corn and his unit didn’t have much contact with family and friends. “Whenever we got to a base, everyone would run to the phone to get their five minutes to call our families,” Corn said.
During his tour, his family and his wife both sent him numerous care packages, which included personal items and snack foods.
“You don’t know just how much you miss that until you don’t have it anymore,” he said. “Some weren’t as fortunate as I was, so I shared with those who didn’t get any packages.”
You can read the whole article here.
According to the Shelby County Reporter, the Pelham Public Library is one of the latest to participate in Connecting Families, a partnership between the Alabama Public Library Service and the Alabama Broadband Initiative that allows military families to see and talk to each other via Web conferencing.
According to Barbara Roberts, library director:
Signing up is fast, free and easy. All one needs is an e-mail address and an account with Skype, a software program that allows telephone calls, instant messaging, file transfer and video conferencing over the Internet. Library aides are available to set up e-mail and Skype accounts for those interested. And the library is willing to arrange Web conferencing sessions after hours to accommodate families.
It’s great to see more libraries participating in this wonderful program!
For more information, call Roberts at [205] 620-6418.
The Montgomery Advertiser published news yesterday that the 926th Engineer Brigade, an Army Reserve unit headquartered in Montgomery, has returned from Iraq.
Welcome home, brave heroes!
WKRG 5 News reported earlier this week with a heartwarming story about Private First Class Marshall Joslin, a soldier stationed in Iraq who had received letters from 4th graders at Knollwood Christian School. He had stopped by to say thanks to the children who’d written to him.
Posted today over at The Gadsden Times:
Rainbow City honors soldier
Twenty-year-old Eric Turner of Rainbow City might have expected a welcome home party when he returned from Iraq.
But the U.S. Army member never imagined he would have a day named in his honor.
On Aug. 11, Mayor Terry John Calhoun proclaimed the day Eric Paul Turner Day in honor of the young soldier’s accomplishments and personal sacrifices for his country and his community.
Turner joined the military at age 18 and is now ranked as an E4 specialist. He is an “all wheels” mechanic for the Army.
Turner was deployed to Iraq in May 2007.
He served there 15 months before returning to the United States on July 24.
He returned home for a 28-day leave on Aug. 9 and, only two days later, he found out just how much his fellow Rainbow City residents appreciate his service.
“My stepdad talked to the mayor about me, and they wanted to congratulate me and recognize me for the job I was doing and for serving in Iraq,” Turner said.
Turner said he knew he would be meeting with city officials on Aug. 11 but had no idea what was in store for him once he arrived at City Hall.
“It was all a surprise,” he said. “I was pretty excited and I thought that it was one of the coolest things ever.
“It definitely made me feel appreciated.”
Congratulations, Eric!
Printed earlier today in the Press-Register, a story covering the return home celebrations for Prichard native Army Sgt. Donnie Leon Broughton Jr. who’s spent the last 3 years serving in Germany and Iraq.
Welcome home, Donnie!
There’s a great article posted on the Baldwin County Now site about a Rosinton family who welcome home one of their own: Will Stanback. He served in Iraq with the 1387th Quartermaster Unit of the Army National Guard, which is from Greenville, Mississippi, also known as the “Waterdawgs.”
You can read the whole article here.
Welcome home, Will!
Courtesy of Fox 10 News:
A family waits and watches for a daughter, a sister and an army combat nurse to come home from the battlefield of Iraq. “It has been a long fifteen months, very long,” said Sandra and Richard McMullen, their daughter is now home from Iraq.
Finally the wait is over, “Welcome home baby girl,” Sandra McMullen said to her daughter, 1st Lt. Jami Garrick, as the pair embraced.
A mother and child reunion; it’s been more than a year since Sandra McMullen held her baby girl in her arms.
“I don’t want to let go” said Garrick. Garrick is a combat nurse with the United States Army. She’s been treating coalition soldiers at a combat support hospital in Iraq. “Gone way too long,” added Garrick. “Very glad to be home.”
Garrick plans to pack as much family time into the next few days before shipping out to El Paso, Texas where she’s stationed. “Be here for four days and see family and nephews I’ve watched grow up thru pictures and video cam,” shared Garrick.
For now a proud family will snaps pictures to remember this Father’s Day when a daughter, a sister and a combat nurse came home.
Welcome home, Jami!
Per the Patriot Guard Riders:
After a year in the sand box, the 1206th Transport Unit out of Opelika, Alabama will be making their return trip home June 13th, and have requested the PGR escort them home. The PGR proudly escorted this Unit to Ft. Bragg North Carolina, with escort through Georgia and then North Carolina took them into Ft Bragg. Please join us in welcoming home these true American Heroes that will once again be reunited with their loved ones and their community.
Coverage from Opelika-Auburn News:
The city of Opelika will hold a homecoming ceremony on June 13 to celebrate the return of the 206th Transportation Company Army reserve unit following a yearlong tour in Iraq.
The event will be held in front of the Veterans Memorial Monument at the Opelika City Hall at 204 S. 7th St. and is open to the public.
The celebration will begin after the troops arrive in town on buses, which is expected to be between 8 and 8:30 p.m., Opelika Community Relations Specialist Jan Gunter said.
Welcome home, heroes!!
I saw in the Patriot Guard Riders forums that another Alabama soldier is returning home, sometime today.
Welcome home, SFC Morris Lowery!!!
Courtesy of the Patriot Guard Riders, the 1203rd guard unit from Dothan will be coming home this Sunday, June 8th. Details are currently not available, but if you want to participate, please contact your local PGR captain.
UPDATE: 06/04/2008 — This has also been covered on the WVTY News 4 site:
A National Guard unit from Dothan could return home this weekend after nearly nine months in Iraq.
170 members of the 1203rd Engineer Battalion’s headquarters company was scheduled to return this week to Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.
After a few days at Fort McCoy, the unit should head home to Dothan and could arrive this Sunday.
The 1203rd’s mission overseas included road-side bomb patrols, helping communities erect security barriers and working with Iraqi soldiers to repair bomb-damaged roads.
UPDATE: 06/06/2008 — The Birmingham News also chimes in:
The Alabama Army National Guard’s Headquarters Company, 1203rd Engineer Battalion, is scheduled to return to its armory in Dothan on Sunday afternoon.
The unit, which has about 170 soldiers, was in Iraq for about nine months, based at Logistics Support Area Anaconda near the city of Balad. It has spent several days at Fort McCoy, Wis., where it trained before deploying.
While at Anaconda, the 1203rd headquarters company had about 900 additional soldiers and airmen under its command. Its mission in Iraq included roadside bomb patrols, helping nearby communities erect security barriers, and working with Iraqi soldiers to repair bomb-damaged roads.
Welcome home, heroes!!!
