Some have plans for bowling and Chinese food, others will whisk away to a tropical island and others’ plans are secret.
But families of area soldiers returning home soon from Afghanistan have one thing in common — excitement.
“We are ecstatic,” said Janine Garland, mother of Spc. Josh Garland, who is currently deployed in Afghanistan with C Troop of the 1st Squadron 108th Cavalry out of Dalton, Ga.
The unit is part of the Georgia Army National Guard’s 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
The 48th is finishing a yearlong tour near Kabul, Afghanistan, where its mission was to train local security forces and police.
Several times, patrols were hit with roadside bombs. Four soldiers have been killed, and on Friday, the Army National Guard said five members of the Georgia-based 48th Brigade were injured, one seriously, in an attack by a suicide bomber on a U.S. military base near the Pakistani border Thursday night. The Associated Press reported the attack but said no information was available on the wounded soldiers’ identities.
On May 17, 2009, Sgt. 1st Class Boyles, Spc. Andrew Sullens and Spc. Anthony Landowski, who is from Ringgold, Ga., were on combat patrol when an improvised explosive device blew the doors off their vehicle and sent them back to the United States for surgery and recuperation.
Though families cannot divulge specific dates when their soldiers will return, the Georgia Guard has announced that sections of the brigade will be home within the next two weeks.
During the last week of February, about 600 soldiers will arrive at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Ga. The first group of about 175 will arrive about Feb. 23, according to a Guard release.
The soldiers will be transported to Cottrell Field at Fort Stewart, Ga., for a brief welcoming formation before being released to their families.
HomecomingOn Feb. 23, the first group of about 175 soldiers from the 48th will arrive at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Ga. A total of about 600 soldiers should come home during the last week of February.The soldiers will be transported to Cottrell Field at Fort Stewart, Ga., before being released to their families.Source: Georgia Army National Guard48th facts* 3,200 soldiers make up the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.* Charlie Troop of the 1st Squadron, 108th Cavalry is based out of Dalton, Ga., while the headquarters of the 48th is based in Calhoun, Ga.* Calhoun resident 1st Sgt. John Blair died of wounds suffered when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle in Mado Zayi, Afghanistan, on June 20, 2009.* Spc. Jeffrey Jordan of Rome, Ga., Staff Sgt. John Beale of Riverdale, Ga., and Maj. Kevin Jenrette of Lula, Ga. were killed by a homemade bomb and small-arms fire near Kapisa, Afghanistan, on June 4, 2009.
“We are planning to go down and meet him,” said Charlie Rosenquist, mother of Spc. Henry Rosenquist.
She said when the unit left from Camp Shelby, Miss., for Afghanistan, all her son wanted to do was go bowling. He also has a free meal awaiting him at P.F. Chang’s, his favorite Chinese restaurant.
That fits well into any plans he might have when he gets home. But the Army will hold the soldiers at Fort Stewart for a few days, offering classes in reintegration for them and their families.
This is the second combat tour for Master Sgt. Darrell Walker, and his wife Kate Walker said the return home can be as difficult as leaving.
“It is really nice that the Army realizes that this is a tough time,” the Dalton resident said.
Having experienced one deployment, she said she knows now how to better relate to her husband when he gets back.
“It doesn’t make it any easier, but it changes your expectation,” she said.
Mrs. Garland said that, since her family missed the holidays and her son’s birthday, they planned to let him relax in St. Lucia in the eastern Caribbean and do some scuba diving.
“It’s been a tough year,” Mrs. Garland said. “It got easier, but I can honestly say from the onset I wondered if I could do it, send my only child to war.”