Soldiers' happy ending

With no wine glasses nearby, Spc. Dustin McDowell and friend Spc. Andrew Smith toasted their homecoming with what they had on hand -- pepperoni pizza.

"Cheers," said McDowell, as the two men touched their slices together and laughed. "It's six in the morning and we're eating pizza. That's why it's great to be home."

It was good times all around for the National Guard soldiers of the 1140th Engineer Battalion, which was welcomed home in style Tuesday with hundreds of friends and relatives turning out to greet the troops who just completed about a year of service in Iraq.

Buses carrying 500 troops in desert-brown fatigues rolled in between 5:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. at armories in Cape Girardeau, Perryville, Sikeston and Farmington.

Two busloads of soldiers arrived at the Cape Girardeau armory at 5:50 a.m. to a roar of applause and joyous shouts. Police accompanied the buses into town and sirens wailed just before the buses pulled into sight.

Families and friends held up homemade welcome signs, children waved flags and balloons and teary-eyed faces searched longingly for a glimpse of their loved ones.

"I have been excited all week," said Gracie King of Fruitland as she waited to see her son, Travis King. "He was always on my mind. When he gets here, we're going to have Christmas. I left the tree up and we have presents under there for him."

In Perryville, hundreds lined the armory parking lots with posters, balloons and flags. Some reunions commenced immediately and other soldiers had to wait for family as the company arrived about 30 minutes ahead of schedule.

Soldiers from Jackson were dropped off with their company in Perryville and drove home in their personal vehicles. But they still did so with a police escort. Several cars pulled over and waved. One driver pulled over and issued a thumbs-up out of his window as the soldiers drove by.

Chaffee held a parade for its returning troops around 10 a.m. after they made their way from the armory in Sikeston. The soldiers boarded two fire trucks and traveled along Yoakum Avenue, passing cheering students from St. Ambrose Catholic School and Chaffee High School, who had been let out for the hometown ceremony.

Back alive

While some military units across the country had homecomings made bittersweet because of fatalities, the 1140th had no loss of life. Several injuries occurred, though none were thought to be life-threatening. One happened when two soldiers -- one from A Company in Farmington and the other was a soldier from another unit attached to the 1140th -- drove a military vehicle over an explosive device, what one described as a booby trap.

At least four Purple Hearts are reportedly going to 1140th soldiers and several anticipate getting Bronze Stars. Bronze Stars are awarded to a person who displayed heroism or for meritorious achievement. Purple Hearts are given those who sustain combat injuries.

For many, the waiting Tuesday morning was hard. Cell phones kept the groups informed as solders called with updates every few minutes.

Roberta Patterson of Scott City waited inside a busy Cape Girardeau armory, holding a sign that said "Your wife and dogs luv you." She said it's been a difficult year without her husband, Staff Sgt. Phillip Patterson.

"Keeping up the household by yourself is hard," she said. "If things go wrong, you don't know what to do."

Carla Hoxworth of Cape Girardeau waited with her two anxious children, Abigail, 6, and Lauren, 4, for her husband, Sgt. William Hoxworth. Abigail spent time spreading out a "Welcome Home to Abigail's Dad" sign that her classmates made at school.

"He's going to play soccer and T-ball with me," she said matter-of-factly.

Steve Meadows and his wife, Linda, couldn't wait to see their son, Kyle, 20. Meadows, who teaches at Notre Dame Regional High School, said he got to hear from his son sporadically, mainly by e-mail.

"But I was amazed by the fact that we got to talk to him at all," Meadows said. "He was constantly on my mind. We know where his faith is placed, so that was a comfort."

The first thing Meadows said he wanted to do was "hug that big neck of his. He told me he wants to eat a heart-stopping breakfast and hit the sack, so that's probably what he'll do."

After the soldiers got off the bus, the crowd made room for the troops to walk through to get to the armory in Cape Girardeau. Amidst the glare of camera flashes, the soldiers waved and smiled as they walked by to heart-warming applause.

A short ceremony was held. Representatives of government officials made brief comments, and Mayor Jay Knudtson spoke. A letter from Gov. Matt Blunt was read. It welcomed the soldiers home and thanked them for their sacrifices.

With his arm around 1st Sgt. Kenny Heise, company commander Capt. Craig Gatzemeyer then dismissed his unit.

Later Gatzemeyer praised his troops.

"I was truly blessed with the greatest company I could ever imagine," he said. "They acted with professionalism and a drive to succeed. Because of that professionalism, we were able to bring everybody back."

Then his young son ran up to Gatzemeyer, hugging his leg, and the face of the soldier faded to that of a father.

"Unbelievable," he said as he picked up his son and kissed his head. "Look at my motley crew here."

After the troops were dismissed, spouses embraced, parents held their delighted children and more than a few eyes were red.

Spc. Jason Clark of Fruitland held his 8-month-old daughter for the first time since she was born.

"I've been waiting a long time for this," he said.

Spc. Gina Phillips said being home was hard to comprehend.

"It's surreal," she said. "But now I can get back to SEMO and finish up my degree."

Phillips, who lives in Cape Girardeau, said she truly didn't mind her time in Iraq.

"Besides the heat, I liked it," she said. "I got to learn about different cultures. We all became a big family."

At Perryville, Sean Winstead waited for his parents to come pick him up. He plans on catching up on sleep. He thinks re-adapting to civilian life may not be easy.

"When I came back on leave, even after two weeks I felt out of place," he said. "I didn't feel comfortable around people. They would start talking about stuff that's happened that I didn't know about."

During the 11 months overseas, the battalion accomplished more than 450 missions including traveling more than 1 million miles across Iraq, training more than 800 Iraqi Civil Defense Corps personnel and paving more than 70 kilometers of a main supply route in Iraq, said Guard spokeswoman Capt. Tammy Spicer.

Spicer said the soldiers of the 1140th will have no military commitments for 90 days.

"They can just spend the time getting re-acclimated to their families and their civilian duties," she said. "It's some time off. They deserve it."

Southeast Missourian reporter Bob Miller contributed to this report.

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137