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No place like home for 1st AD troops

Jul-25-2004 » Filed Under: General Military

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By Kevin Dougherty, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, July 25, 2004

HANAU, Germany — Looking up at her dad, Kayla Krings wiped the tears from her eyes as she began to ponder the question.

It seemed the more Kayla thought about what it was she wanted to do with her father, now that he is home, the more choked up she became.

“Everything,” the 9-year-old said, glancing back up at her father, Maj. Troy Krings, 2nd Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment. “I want to do everything.”

Making up for lost time is something a lot of people affiliated with the 1st Armored Division can identify with in these heady days of homecoming ceremonies. [...]

Soon, flags were being unfurled and gear was being thrown back on for the mission’s final march. The five units on hand — the headquarters people, the chemical company, the 127th Aviation Support Battalion, and the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 501st — lined up for some last-minute instructions.

The march between the two hangars amounted to only a few hundred yards, but in many ways it signified a breaching of two worlds: one of chaos and caution to one of comfort and care.

As the soldiers rounded a corner, the soft sound of soles slapping asphalt was gradually overtaken by the melody of Lee Greenwood’s song, “God Bless the USA.”

“When you hear the noise,” Sgt. Maj. William McNeal said to the troops as they neared the hangar, “I need you to hold tight [with your emotions] for just a while longer.”

Out of the shadows, the soldiers soon stepped into the glow of bright lights, which grew in intensity the closer they got to their destination. As McNeal predicted, the crowd erupted in cheers and screams as row upon row of soldiers marched into the hangar.

Asked after the brief ceremony where his thoughts were at that moment, Sgt. Gregory Roby, with wife and daughter at his side, smiled and said: “It’s not in Iraq. I’ll tell you that.”


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