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Stryker soldiers home at last

Oct-22-2004 » Filed Under: 3/2 SBCT

I think this is the article many of you have been waiting a year to read.

[Link to Full Article]
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune

They turned on the tap at Fort Lewis late Thursday, and for the next two weeks or so, the soldiers and the happy tears of reunion will be flowing.

The 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, is coming home after a year in Iraq.

About 200 soldiers arrived Thursday night to cheering family members and friends at the post’s Sheridan Gymnasium.

They’re the first since an advance party got in Oct. 5, but now the return will move into high gear as the Stryker brigade’s more than 4,000 soldiers make their way home.

Nanea Clemens was there with her kids, Micah, 9, and Lehua, 4,waiting for Staff Sgt. Fred Clemens. She said she was excited to see him when he came home just last month for his two weeks of “midtour” leave, “but it feels final this time.”

Being apart so long was hard – the longest time they’ve had to be apart in their 10 years together.

It was hard to be mom and dad to the kids, and for Fred it was hard to miss the moments in his family’s life, the birthdays and Christmas and Micah’s impressive 48 strikeouts pitching during baseball this season.

“He was really good at keeping in touch,” Nanea said. “When we’d hear something in the news, he was really good about calling and letting me know, ‘Hey, it wasn’t me.’”

But now there’s no more worrying about getting that call that something’s gone wrong. They made it.

Read the rest...


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