NAVAL FLEET PERSONNEL BACK FROM MIDEAST

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Police sirens wailed Sunday as a procession of squad cars and family sedans welcomed Dale Ratliff, a Cape Girardeau police officer, home from his tour of duty in the Persian Gulf War.

A member of the Naval Reserve, Ratliff arrived in Chicago Saturday morning, having left Bahrain, an island in the Persian Gulf, on Friday. He was among 91 members of the Naval fleet hospital who arrived stateside on a flight for home.

Other local members from the unit should be arriving home today. They include fellow city police officer Ed Barker and Cynthia Underwood.

As part of a homecoming celebration, Ratliff, a lieutenant with the police department, was escorted from the Mississippi River bridge to a gathering at his mother's home.

"I'm very elated to be home," Ratliff said. "When we were coming home, the first vehicle we saw was the chief of police. Then we saw a whole line of family members who came to welcome us home.

"We came across the bridge and the police cars turned on their lights," he said. "Then there were banners at the house. It was all very exciting. It does the heart proud."

Ratliff said the procession was a surprise to him. "I had been phoning home occasionally to let everyone know where I was. Mostly I was calling so my mother wouldn't worry. She has a tendency to do that."

Sunday's homecoming celebration was almost delayed. Ratliff said that once he arrived in Chicago he and the others were told, because it was a weekend, no one would be processed out until Monday.

"My wife and children, my brother, his wife and my nephew were all there to meet me," Ratliff said. "My oldest one, Mandy, started crying when they said I couldn't leave until Monday."

Ratliff's brother, Scott McNeely, talked with Naval officials and arranged for him to be processed out early. The family stayed overnight in Chicago and left for home Sunday morning.

Ratliff said this homecoming was much different from an earlier one: when he came home from Vietnam.

"There is no comparison between this one and the other," he said.

"The support all along has been quite obvious," Ratliff said. "I had family members constantly sending me articles and letters letting me know the support being generated in the community and the country."

Ratliff said that support made his job easier.

"You don't have that internal struggle, asking if what we are doing is right. When you know the majority of people are behind you, it relieves a lot of that pressure."

Ratliff said his biggest stress was being away from loved ones. "For me, the separation was the critical aspect. Being away hurt."

He and his wife, Beverly, have two daughters, Amanda, 10, and Melissa, 7.

Ratliff said he will likely take a few days off before returning to work at the police department. "But I'm anxious to get back," he said. "I miss my work."

Ratliff's assignment overseas was to help provide security for a 500-bed, Naval Reserve fleet hospital.

When he left Saudi Arabia, he said the hospital unit was cleaning up the site and packing equipment.

"The community we were assigned to had a dinner for us and expressed their sadness at us leaving," he said. "We made a lot of acquaintances. And some of us made some real close friends. They were extremely supportive of us there, as is noticeable here."

He said the hospital did not see the number of war casualties it had been prepared for.

"Mostly we had routine sick calls," he said. "Thank goodness we didn't have to be used totally. We are thankful for that."