Vernon Hills Marine greeted with cheers, honors
Escorted by five police cars, two fire trucks and two ambulances, Marine Lance Cpl. James Hulse made the final leg of his journey home to Vernon Hills from Iraq Saturday, just in time for the holidays.
Neighbors cheered as the vehicles paraded down his street, lined with American flags, welcoming the 24-year-old home.
"I didn't expect all this," Hulse said. "It's good to be home."
As part of Operation Welcome Home, Mayor Roger Byrne presented the Marine with a gift certificate to a local restaurant and a proclamation of gratitude.
"We're glad that you're home safe," Byrne said.
No one was happier than James' mother, Gillian Hulse.
"Relief, total relief, is how I felt when he told me that he was out of the danger zone. I didn't realize how worried I had been," she said. "I am so proud of him."
Conditions in Iraq are improving, said Hulse, who had been stationed about 40 miles west of Baghdad.
He traveled by ship from Iraq, arriving in San Diego, two weeks ago. His mother and two sisters were on hand to welcome him.
Sister Caitlin Hulse, 16, said she was happy her brother was home.
"I'm happy and proud of him and grateful for the support of the community," she said.
James' other sister, Lauren Hulse, 21, in the midst of finals at Methodist University in Fayetteville, N.C., will return home Tuesday.
"We'll all be together for the holidays," Gillian Hulse said.
James Hulse will be home for a month before returning to California. In July, he will be stationed in Okinawa, Japan.
Hulse was in the first class to graduate from Vernon Hills High School in 2002. He studied fire science at the College of Lake County before joining the Marines.
The welcome home event was the result of a request by Craig Warner, a Hulse family friend and member of American Legion Post 1247. A Marine and Air Force veteran and commercial pilot, Warner said he wanted to do something nice for the family.
Operation Welcome Home is an extension of Blue Line for the Front Line, a joint effort of the Vernon Hills and Libertyville police departments over the past few years to provide supplies to specific units overseas.
Residents of either Vernon Hills or Libertyville with a service member returning home can register for the program by calling (847) 247-4888. Information is available at www.vhpd.com.