Elgin-based soldiers return home after Afghanistan tour
They marched onto Streamwood High School's football field Monday morning armed with yellow roses instead of rifles.
Families of the 110 men of Elgin-based Company B, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry sat in the bleachers waiting for their fathers, brothers, sons, husbands and boyfriends.
Tears, smiles and anxious anticipation showed on the faces in the crowd as the soldiers climbed out of the three buses that brought them in from Ft. McCoy in Wisconsin - the final leg on the long trip home from Afghanistan. The rumble of a fleet of motorcycles from the Patriot Guard Riders, who'd accompanied the buses, told the crowd the soldiers were near.
"I cannot wait to hug my boy," said Will Torres, as he waited for his son, Capt. Leyland Torres, 35, of Oak Forest.
As soon as the formal ceremony ended, many soldiers dashed from the football field to the bleachers, hopping the fence to take the quickest route to their loved ones. They kissed their wives and girlfriends, hugged their babies, handed the roses to their mothers. Some had been wounded and had to make their way more cautiously to friends and families.
"As the company commander, really the best thing I could have done is to bring these guys home to be with their families," Capt. Torres said. "If you talk to them they're they amazing soldiers there."
The men - some of whom had already served in Iraq - were called up again last August and deployed in October to serve in Afghanistan. The Army said they helped build schools and upgraded infrastructure.
Mickey and Ed Doroske of Elk Grove Village were awaiting their grandson, Daniel, a 20-year-old graduate of Schaumburg High School. Mickey Doroske said he told them one of the hardest things for him was the difficulty in identifying enemy Taliban forces while deployed.
"We're just so glad that they're back," she said.
A home-cooked meal and a cold one were on the agenda for many of the servicemen.
John and Terri Bennett of Hanover Park sent many care packages to their son, Sgt. Michael Bennett. But what was the one thing they couldn't send?
"His girlfriend," Terri Bennett said, pointing to Robyn Smith, who's been dating Michael Bennett for about two years.
Many families wore personalized T-shirts recognizing their soldier, such as the "Team Bennett" shirts sported by John and Terri. The Bennetts kept in contact with their son using a Webcam, and being able to see his face went a long way to ease their worries. John Bennett, a Vietnam War veteran, said he identifies with the soldiers.
"People like me make sure that they get this type of welcome," he said.
Several veterans groups also suited up to show their support, the American Legion Post 57 in Elgin.
"We know what they have suffered and have gone through, and we're just glad that they're back safe and sound," said Post Cmdr. Norm Bellows.
The Army is holding several homecoming ceremonies around the state this month, as soldiers trickle home from Operation Enduring Freedom. About 3,000 were called up from the Illinois National Guard last year, which the Army said was the biggest recall since World War II.
Yellow ribbons have become the enduring symbol of support for troops overseas, so it was fitting that the USO gave yellow roses to the men returning, said Kris Fuhr, an Army family readiness leader.
"It's a contrast to what they've been carrying in their hands," she said.
Her husband, Battalion Chief Lt. Col. Dan Fuhr, remains at headquarters company in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, but is scheduled to return home on Thursday. Woodstock-based Company D of the 1st Battalion, Infantry will also return on that day, but their ceremony is likely to be more somber: That company lost four soldiers in the war.
Army officials did say there's a chance that all Illinois National Guard soldiers will return by Sept. 15.
Monday, traffic snarled through the parking lot at the end of ceremony with cars backed up trying to exit the high school. But there was no honking or signs of frustration. The passengers smiled and waved small American flags, happy that their soldier had finally returned home.
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