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Families together again

Sep- 5-2007 » Filed Under: 3/2 SBCT

The following article also includes a nice photo gallery from the homecoming.

Christian Hill, The Olympian

FORT LEWIS — Paul and Janine Barboza of Yelm had it all planned out. The staff sergeant would be home from his second deployment to Iraq in time to reacquaint with his two children and be present for the delivery of their third.

But when the Army extended by three months the tour of the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), as well as other active-duty units serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, the expectant mother found herself in an unenviable position.

"Doing the pregnancy thing with two other kids by yourself is very hard," she said Tuesday.

In ways both large and small, the extended tour the longest by a Fort Lewis brigade in Iraq has placed additional stress on thousands of military families living in South Sound.

So it was with great joy that family members marked the beginning of the end of the deployment with Tuesday's arrival of the brigade's advance party.

The 140 soldiers will ensure preparations are complete for the return of the brigade's 3,600 soldiers after 15 months in combat. The majority of the soldiers are scheduled to begin arriving on separate flights in a week or so.

About 200 family members erupted in a cheers and screams as the returning soldiers marched into a gymnasium Tuesday afternoon festooned with colorful signs and a huge U.S flag hanging from one wall. After brief remarks from a post commander, the soldiers were dismissed, and family members raced for the long-awaited reunion punctuated with long kisses and hugs, and tears of joy and relief.

The extra three months away from home was as tough for the soldiers as the families.

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