This story originally ran in the Nov. 26, 2006, issue of the News-Miner.
The last time Sgt. 1st Class Carl Owens saw his wife, she was two sizes larger with short hair and a wardrobe dominated by sweat pants and T-shirts.
As Tracy Owens awaited her husband’s return Saturday following his 18-month tour in Iraq, the 46-year-old donned a flowing white skirt, a low-cut top and high-heeled suede boots. She wore makeup and had a bronze tan.
Like many wives of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Owens wanted to make an impression.
“He is going to flip out,” she said.
Turns out Tracy Owens could have worn a burlap sack, and her husband would still have been ecstatic. A grin spread across the sergeant’s face as he hugged his wife and two daughters.
“I’m just excited to be home” he said. “I love it.”
Katrina Queen also managed to pull together a new outfit for the reunion with her husband, Sgt. Kito Queen, despite being a de facto single parent to the couple’s six children for the last few months.
“I’m just so excited,” the 29-year-old said as she sat waiting in the warehouse-sized staging area, where the more than 600 soldiers were bused from Eielson Air Force Base to be welcomed home. Queen’s children, ages 7 months to 9 years, played nearby.
This was the couple’s second reunion. The first was in August, when the sergeant returned to Alaska just long enough for Katrina to become pregnant with their seventh child before the Army shipped him back to Iraq for a four-month extension.
“My 2-year-old,” Queen said, “She talks about him a lot. She said, ‘Mommy, Daddy’s going to take me to see ‘Happy Feet.'’ My son, he’s grown a lot since the summer.”
After the soldiers were released to be with their families, Katrina handed her husband the youngest child.
“I missed these little guys,” he said.
The other children took turns vying for the sergeant’s attention, calling “Daddy, daddy.”
“It feels so good to hear them say ‘Daddy,’” their mother said.
Many families didn’t have grand plans upon their reunion, except to go home, relax and enjoy each other’s company.
“No plans,” said Tamatha Zavodsky. “Just being a family again.”
Many families had signs and special T-shirts for the homecoming. The Hernandez family made their signs and shirts in July, shortly before Sgt. 1st. Class Robert Hernandez was scheduled to return home and before the brigade was extended.
When Debbi Hernandez and her children dusted off their shirts and signs for Saturday’s homecoming, they had to use paint to correct the wording to reflect Robert’s promotion.
As the oldest of the Hernandez children, 10-year-old Brianna has known for a few weeks that her dad was returning Saturday. Debbi didn’t tell her two younger children because she said it was difficult in July to explain the extension to them.
“But she told me he was coming so I could start cleaning,” Brianna said, rolling her eyes. She said she’s excited to have her dad home again so she can eat real Mexican food, like his homemade tacos and enchiladas. Her mom has avoided making those kind of meals since her husband’s been gone.
“Mom’s on a low-carb diet,” Debbi said.
Other families were preparing for the special food requests their soldier was looking forward to.
Tiana Lara said her husband, Sgt. Lionel Lara, had one request upon his return: that she cook chicken enchiladas.
“I asked him what he wanted when he came in and that’s what he said,” said the 20-year-old mother of two girls, ages 1 and 2. “We’re going to go home, hang out, watch movies and maybe play with the kids.”
In late December, when the family goes on vacation in Arizona, the couple plans to get matching tattoos.
Stephanie McDowell wasn’t sure what to expect upon the return of her husband, Sgt. 1st Class Billy McDowell, who was shot in the shoulder in September and got shrapnel in both legs a month later after an explosion.
“I’m kind of nervous,” said the 34-year-old mother of two, ages 4 and 6. “I’ve been doing everything for a year. He’s going to come back and take over.”
The mother and children arrived in Alaska only about eight hours ahead of their soldier, who cried when he saw them.
McDowell’s son wore a child-sized Army Combat Uniform for the occasion.
“You look like me,” McDowell said as he hugged the boy. “I missed you,” he told his girl.