National Guard Members Welcomed Home
On the Brooklyn Park Armory's broad lawn, within a semicircle of American flags gently waving on a perfect Minnesota morning, groups of family members and friends gathered to welcome their warriors home.
On this day, July 19, local members of the Minnesota National Guard's 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division - a/k/a The "Red Bulls" - were due to arrive after a 20-month deployment to Iraq. Their unit had served 22 months, 16 months of which were in a combat zone, the longest of any Guard unit in the Iraq war.
Groups of soldiers had been arriving home all week by bus, and "Welcome Home" signs have been spotted along roadways.
As military marches, swing music from the '40s and the occasional bagpipe tune played over loudspeakers, groups of well-wishers moved around and greeted each other as if taking part in a slow square dance. Children had a hard time staying in one place; even the littlest ones seemed to sense how special this day was. Everyone kept an eye on the road, looking for the fire truck and Hummers that would lead the bus onto the grounds. Every so often, a passing truck would honk in salute.
S1 Major ("Skip") Ebel's family was there to greet him. Sisters Andrea ("Andy") Kaufman, Lisa Ebel, and Gayla Adams had reserved front row seats but no one was sitting. Ebel's wife Jenny double-checked the video camera while son Cameron, 7, and daughter Faith, 4, talked to Ebel's parents, Bernie and Delores. Jenny's mom and stepdad, Carol and Ed Gutow (and dog, Lucky) hovered just beyond the chairs, ready to move forward when the bus came.
Jenny Ebel said, "We haven't seen him for a year. He was home last July for the kids' birthdays. When he called me from Fort McCoy [the interim stop before coming to Minnesota], it was almost harder talking to him than when he was calling from Iraq. He was so close, but we still couldn't see him."
Suddenly, the fire truck siren announced the arrival of the convoy and dozens of video cameras clicked on, capturing the moment. One by one, the soldiers came around the bus, into the arms of those who had been waiting and worrying for so many months. As Ebel greeted his wife and children, his mother said what so many were feeling, "It's such a wonderful feeling to have him home."
After greeting everyone (and checking out son Cameron's loose tooth), the Lino Lakes resident said, "I'm proud of everyone I served with. We did some great things and helped a lot of people.
I'm so glad to be home."
Editor's Note: Welcome home to SSG Robert Sahr of Lino Lakes, and Specialist Ashley Lapadat of White Bear Lake and E5 SGT Tanya Gaylord from Hugo, who arrived home on the 19th! The Citizen was unable to procure a complete list of area soldiers who returned home prior to our press date.