VIEWPOINT: To Our Soldiers: Welcome Home!

By ABC-7 Executive ProducerKristine Rivers

Tonight, more than 150 soldiers are back with their families.

The men and women of the 978th MP Company, 93rd MP Battalion returned home late last Saturday night after a 14-month deployment to Iraq.

My husband and I have been separated for half that amount and it’s just as emotional today as it was the day he left.

I truly cannot imagine what these families have been through; how many nights spouses have cried themselves to sleep, how many children have wondered where their mom or dad is and how many parents have prayed for their grown child’s safety.

Every soldier has dozens of people who love them and worry about them on a daily basis. When the 978th returned home, the worries of literally thousands of people were over.

But for two families, this deployment was their worst worry realized. Two soldiers from the 978th didn’t make it home Saturday.

Corporal James Hale died in August of last year when his vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device. Two other soldiers were injured in the attack.

Hale left behind a wife and three young children.

The 978th also lost Corporal Gary Moore in March of this year.

Moore was an active member of the Hillcrest Baptist Church. The 25-year-old was just getting started. He had recently proposed to his love, Randi Ivie.

In a previous Viewpoint column, I had talked about how I often prayed for Randi. She’s someone I often thought about but never thought I would meet.

Well, on Saturday I had the honor of meeting her and her mother. The pair came to a barbeque on post. She was in town to welcome her fiancee’s former comrades home. She told me she needed to be there.

At first I wondered why she would do that to herself. I thought there was no way I would have the strength to be there. Why would I put myself through that? But, after talking to her for a while she said she needed to be there to make it real.

She said if she was there and Gary didn’t get off the plane, then she would finally believe he was gone and she could start to move on; not forget, but move on.

That made sense. It was clear to me after talking to her, that she had an intense love for her partner. She was clearly in mourning, but got such a joy in her eyes when she talked about his life.

She is truly an inspiration to other military spouses. She’s been through the worst and survived, proudly honoring Moore along the way.

It was certainly an emotional homecoming for Randi and for the other families waiting at Biggs to welcome their soldiers home. I got a text from a friend after the plane landed and I burst into tears, but this time, tears of joy.

I was so happy for the reunions that were happening and the soldiers who were safe.

A person changes a lot in 14 months. Now the soldiers and their families must get reacquainted and the soldiers must adapt to life back at home.

I’m guessing that is probably a stressful time too, but one every soldier and military family member is happy to go through.

To every soldier who deployed with the unit, and to every soldier who came home, thank you for your service!

Welcome home!