Algonquin soldier welcomed home in style
Master Sgt. Matt Harman arrived home Monday in style.
Harman, 40, a soldier in the Illinois National Guard, was standing up in a sparkling black Hummer escorted by police and fire officials, smiling and waving through the sunroof to the more than 100 people- including dozens of children- gathered on nearby streets and in his front yard to welcome him home to Algonquin after a tour in Afghanistan. The celebration came as a complete surprise.
"It feels good to be back, thank you very much," Harman told the cheering and applauding crowd. "This is Monday, don't you have jobs?"
His wife Ellen, their three children Flannery, 9, Jack, 7, Kaden, 4, his mom, Linda Van Damme, and stepfather, Walt Van Damme, reunited with him earlier in the day at a military ceremony held in Pontiac, Ill.
From there they drove to Algonquin, where two police squads and an SUV from the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District joined the motorcade near the village border and escorted him home.
Longtime friend Tricia Wolak planned the surprise bash that Harman said left him "absolutely flabbergasted."
She made sure the streets around the Harman house were dressed up for the occasion with American flags - large and small - dotting the entire landscape.
Wolak also asked people to don patriotic gear, leaving no shortage of people wearing red, white and blue.
"He's given so much, we thought that we'd give a little something back to him," she said.
Harman spent a year in Afghanistan, and while he was gone, his wife and children had scores of family members and friends to lean on.
Ellen Harman said she made sure to keep her kids and herself occupied, enrolling them in dance classes, baseball, softball and other activities, including a family trip to Aruba.
When something broke in the house or other issues arose, neighbors and friends handled them so Ellen could focus on the kids.
"We were just here for whatever she needed," said neighbor Karen Stewart.
"They made it very easy to stay busy and not feel sorry for yourself," Ellen Harman said.
The yearlong tour of duty was the longest time the couple, married 13 years, had ever been apart.
But they spoke buy phone two and three times a week - sometimes through video phone - and also kept in touch via e-mail.
Harman's co-workers at Pepsi America described him as the type who would "give you the shirt off his back." When an operation left co-worker Stan Kaczmarek temporarily unable to drive, Harman drove him to work for two months, rising at 5 a.m. every morning to collect him from his Elgin home.
The Afghanistan mission brings Harman's 23 years of service with the National Guard to an end, and he's looking forward to life as a civilian, enjoying simple pleasures like barbecued food and beer.
"I'm going to relax, enjoy being home with my wife and family," Harman said.
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Photo Galleries</h2> <ul class="gallery"> <li><a href="/story/?id=309711">Images from Master Sgt. Matt Harman's Algonquin homecoming </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>