SEA BEES UNIT WELCOMED HOME

With her husband finally home from the Persian Gulf War, Sissy Colyer set about her plan of action to keep him close to home.

"I'm not going to let him leave again; I'll hog tie him this time," she said after her husband, Jeff, a Naval Reserve Sea Bee, climbed off a passenger bus Tuesday afternoon at the Naval Reserve Training Center here.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Jeff Colyer of Fruitland was one of eight Sea Bee reservists who arrived at the center from Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia, via St. Louis and Gulfport, Miss. The reservists, who are attached to the center, left Cape Girardeau the second week of January, said Lt. Cmdr. Jack Dalrymple, the center's commanding officer.

The Sea Bees are the Navy's construction division. The reservists are members of Reserve Naval Construction Force, Support Unit 4.

While overseas, Dalrymple said, the reservists initially served as a vehicle maintenance pool for four other Sea Bee battalions. Later, he said, they worked on general construction projects for the combined military services.

Tuesday's homecoming drew about 80 people, counting family members of the reservists and Cape Girardeau firefighters, who led the bus in with a fire engine. Some people held balloons. One woman held aloft a placard that read in yellow letters, "Welcome Home Sea Bees."

"They're here, they're here," Sissy Colyer said, running to the front of the crowd as the bus approached the center. A second later tears filled her eyes.

She carried their 7-month-old son, Jeremy Lee, dressed in a blue-striped, sailor-like outfit. Along with Jeremy, she clutched a bouquet of roses a present from Jeremy to his father and strings leading to four balloons that bore printed messages including "I Love You Daddy."

Members of the crowd whistled, cheered and yelled as the first reservist stepped from the bus.

Jeff Colyer said it felt great to be home. "You don't appreciate home sometimes until you're gone for a while," he said. He wore brown camouflage pants and a black Desert Storm T-shirt with a "V" victory sign draped in the colors of the U.S. flag.

Colyer acknowledged that he began to get very anxious during the ride to Cape Girardeau.

"About the time we had the fire truck meet us up here, the guys started to get rambunctious," he said. "Kind of unglued, so to speak."

Sissy Colyer said she hadn't slept since 6 a.m. Monday because of all the excitement surrounding her husband's return. That's when she first found out her husband was coming home, she said.

"I'm overwhelmed. I want my man home," she said, loud and fervently.

"I went and bought me a new negligee for this one, and I don't wear negligees. I will tonight."

Petty Officer 3rd Class Daren Ford, another Sea Bee, surprised some people by walking up on the crowd shortly before the bus pulled up with his fellow reservists. Ford, of Pocahontas, had ridden to Cape Girardeau from St. Louis with his girlfriend, Judi Lipps of Cape Girardeau; his sister, Sherry Ford; and other family members.

"This is home, home; not Gulf Port," he said, exuberant. "It's great to be back. No sand."

Dalrymple had said Monday that about 40 of the reservists would be returning on the bus. But Colyer said family members had picked up other unit members in St. Louis. Dalrymple said others drove back to the area from Gulfport.