Friends, family, fellow vets welcome Lombard man home

When Air Force Staff Sgt. Brian Luethy returned this week to the town where he grew up, Hanover Park, the last thing he expected was a hero's welcome.

So it came as a pleasant shock that on Sunday, his high school friend Amanda Keller Falco escorted him to a parking lot near Lake Street and Bartels Road, where he was met by a convoy of Warriors' Watch Riders veterans on motorcycles.

Some old friends were there, including Falco's dad, Ken Keller, himself a Vietnam vet, and another friend from Spring Wood Middle School and Lake Park High School, Beth Gear.

A ceremony was held in his honor, and Luethy, 30, who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, signed a banner containing the names of veterans who have returned since Christmas.

"I honestly had no idea that this was even happening," said Luethy, who is no longer on active duty and plans to go back to school at the College of DuPage while remaining on reserve duty.

Luethy, who now lives in Lombard, received hugs from his friends and the veterans. His children, Haley, 8, and Shawn, 5, both carried small American flags.

"Home and family is always in the back of your mind," he said. "It's always the first thing you think of when you wake up. Pretty much anything you do, it's always right there. It's definitely the last thing you think of before you go to bed. You try to block it out as much as you can and just do what you're doing, but it's hard."

Luethy also reflected on what he's missed while he's been gone.

"My son just turned 5. The last birthday I was there for was when he was 2. I have missed Christmases. I have missed Thanksgivings. I have missed birthdays. I have missed pivotal moments in their lives, and it's hard to do. But ... you've got to think about what you're really doing and there is really a bigger purpose to it. Bigger than you," he said.

Luethy is proud of the men and women with whom he has served and feels that his service sets him apart from the civilian population.

"I have done things that some people never will. I have been places, I have experienced things, that the normal population, normal people, don't get to do. At some points, it's difficult and it's hard, but at other points, it kind of helps you define yourself, who you are," he said.

Luethy was an aircraft mechanic. His actual job title is aerospace ground equipment, which means he provided air support for ground troops and infantry units.

Luethy has always been mechanically inclined, so it wasn't a stretch to make the transition from working on cars to working on diesel and jet engines.

He was in Afghanistan in 2005 for the country's first democratic elections. He also was in southern Iraq, setting up an air base.

Luethy has definitely had his brush with mortality, maintaining a matter-of-fact face on that aspect of his service. The first night he flew into Afghanistan, his aircraft was shot at.

"Our plane was actually taking fire, and you could hear it," he said. Not all of his memories are heavy ones. They include eating Oreos and shooting darts at each other.

"I know that sounds weird, but there are certain creature comforts you don't normally get," he said. "(Ken Keller) actually sent me a box of Oreos. On the lid, it said, 'If you want milk, find a goat,' and I'll never forget that. They had also sent over these foam darts that had a rubber band installed in the front. You look for those moments to kind of break up the monotony."

He said receiving appreciation is important to the troops, and people's support means a lot.

Luethy is fourth-generation military. His brother, Karl, is still in the Air Force.

Ken Keller, who did a tour in Vietnam with the Marine Corps, said of Brian Luethy, "I wish more people had his attitude as far as serving the country goes. He has always been a good kid. He's got a good head on his shoulders."

Keller believes it's important to honor soldiers, because when he returned from Vietnam, it was a whole different story.

"They brought us into the airport about 2 a.m. and had us change clothes in a hangar, put on our civilian clothes and go off to our destinations," Keller said.