This story originally ran in the July 26, 2006, issue of the News-Miner.
It was a long night for families and friends of returning soldiers of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
Family members began gathering at the Alert Holding Area on Fort Wainwright just after midnight Monday to welcome a group of soldiers home. But it would be nearly six hours before the reunion took place.
Blame lost luggage. While going through in-processing procedures at Eielson Air Force Base, a piece of equipment was found to be missing, delaying the soldiers’ return while luggage and the plane was scoured for the item.
When word finally came that the soldiers were en route from Eielson, Col. Robert Ball prepared the families for the group’s arrival.
He said the soldiers would march into the building and stand in formation facing the crowd while he said a few quick words. At that point, after waiting a year–and six hours–for their soldiers to come home, the families would hear the word that would bring them back together.
“As soon as you hear “dismissed,” that’s your cue to attack,” Ball said.
About 280 soldiers of the brigade returned to Fort Wainwright at 6 a.m. Tuesday, the first group of the main body of soldiers from the 172nd to arrive home from a nearly yearlong deployment. The group was the first to arrive since the approximately 270 member advance team on June 20.
The bulk of the soldiers arriving Tuesday were with the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment. Before the brigade’s deployment in August, the 4-23 was located at Fort Richardson. As soldiers return, the unit is being relocated to Fort Wainwright.
Some of the soldiers with families still in Anchorage will arrive there over the next few weeks. Some families have already relocated to Fairbanks, and the unmarried soldiers are coming directly from Iraq to Fort Wainwright.
Arriving home from battle as a single soldier can be bittersweet.
Married soldiers are showered with affection and head home with their families, while single soldiers are assigned to new barracks.
Often, soldiers don’t know when they’re coming home in enough time for family from the Lower 48 to make travel arrangements to Alaska.
But many of those in attendance Tuesday were trying to make the arrival of the single soldiers a little more welcoming.
Rachel Blakey was awaiting the arrival of her husband, Allen. But she also was working with a group of wives of 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry soldiers to stock the barracks for the Brigade’s returning single soldiers.
She said the women had spent the day putting new linens and towels in the rooms.
They left some food for the soldiers, such as soda, Ramen noodles, granola bars and Hot Pockets.
They left cards and welcome home signs in each room.
The task kept Blakey busy while she anxiously awaited her husband’s arrival, but it didn’t calm her much.
“I’ve been nervous all day,” she said, her cheeks flushed. “It’s hard to know what to expect out of them.”