FedEx gives local serviceman a hero's welcome

Hugs, handshakes and cake awaited Sgt. Duane Smith as he returned to his job at the FedEx center in Elk Grove Village on Wednesday after completing his second tour of duty in Iraq.

Co-workers showered him with applause, and banners welcoming Smith home lined the walls of the office.

"It's good to be back. This is all a bit overwhelming to have all of this," said Smith, who lives in Glendale Heights.

Smith, 38, did vehicle maintenance both at FedEx and in the National Guard. Instead of delivery trucks, Smith was servicing up-armored Humvees and MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicles in Baghdad from January 2009 until arriving home on Tuesday.

Though the job was similar, there was a key difference.

"Over there you don't get attached to the vehicles like you do here, since you don't know if the vehicle is ever coming back," said Smith.

Smith is a member of the 32nd Infantry Brigade in the Wisconsin National Guard, based in Milwaukee. He has served 18 years in the military, with his retirement approaching in two years.

Smith's first deployment, August 2005 to November 206, he was in Kuwait.

Smith had to leave behind his wife, Gina, and his Labrador retriever, Bella, while serving.

"Besides them, what I missed the most while in Iraq was the freedom to wake up in the morning and do whatever I wanted," said Smith.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, Smith will likely retire from the military in two years, making this his last tour.

Operations manager Mark Adrian, senior manager Brad Cummings, and fleet manager Mark Graham helped organize the homecoming party for Smith.

"For what he did serving his country and spending over a year away from his home and family, this celebration is a small token of our appreciation," said Cummings.

"Because of people like you, our way of life is debating whether we should get strawberry filling in your cake," Cummings told Smith.

Graham, Smith's supervisor at FedEx, presented Smith with a plaque thanking him for his service to the country.

Adrian made the "Welcome Home" banners last November, determined to keep emitting "positive waves."

"A lot of people waited a long time for this day," said Adrian.