“There they are!” someone shouted as the first bus rounded the corner near the Marine Corps Reserve Center on Amnicola Highway.

People hoisted their children onto their shoulders and the crowd cheered, waving American flags, as 154 members of “Mike Battery” returned home Sunday afternoon from Iraq.

“I can remember when he graduated from boot camp, the hug that he gave me, and I told my niece that it was a real hug,” said Becky Calhoun, of Benton, Tenn, who was reunited with her son Lance Cpl. Casey Calhoun, 20. “I felt that again today. I could feel the love.”

A Marine Corps reserve unit specializing in artillery, Mike Battery has been deployed three times for service in the Iraq war. During a 2004 to 2005 tour, the Chattanooga-based unit fought in the Battle of Fallujah, making history for firing more rounds as an artillery battery than any other since the Vietnam War. Called up last winter, the unit left for Iraq in April to help with the security detail in the city of Rutbah.

The homecoming was particularly poignant for Lauren Cole, of Valdosta, Ga., whose husband Cpl. Patrick Cole, met their 5-month-old son, Carter, for the first time.

“Words don’t even describe how great it feels to have him come home,” said Mrs. Cole, whose husband had coached her through her delivery over the phone. “(Carter’s) first tooth is about to come any day now, so at least we get to have that first together.”

Cpl. Jeffrey Charles, of Cleveland, Tenn., left home when his daughter, Kambria, was only 3 weeks old. The two nuzzled and bonded in the middle of the family huddle Sunday.

“I’m glad to see that she’s warming up to her daddy like this,” said mother-in-law Teresa Hager, “because babies don’t go to strangers; even though he’s daddy, he’s a stranger.”

Quincy Reid, of Fort Oglethorpe, helped her daughters prepare for their father’s homecoming by marking the days on the calendar each night before bed.

“It was a long time coming,” she said. “I was like a zombie for the past 24 hours because I couldn’t believe that, ‘Wow, we actually get to see him tomorrow.’”

In preparation for his arrival, Mrs. Reid said she cleaned their house, washed their truck, bought new outfits for the girls and stocked up on her husband’s favorite snacks: salt and vinegar chips, Slim Jims and gummies.

Reunited at last Sh’nya Reid, 5, and Jayda, 22 months, clung to their father, Gunnery Sgt. Selwyn Reid, peppering him with kisses as he juggled them in his arms. They planned to take the girls to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate.

Despite the hardship of the separation, Mrs. Cole said the experience strengthened her bond with her husband of 3 1/2 years.

“It’s such a blessing in disguise,” she said. “I know what it feels like to not have him with me, so I take every day as the best day of my life when I get to be with him. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

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