Brendan

Specialist Blythe requested no face pictures, but did say this would be OK.

Specialist Blythe is stationed at Camp Oryan (looks odd but is the correct spelling, I am told) a small garrison of 125 101st Airborne soldiers not too far from Camp Anaconda. Both camps are close to Balak and not terribly far from Baghdad. He is coming home in October-November, he is not sure and both Nancy and I will be at Ft. Campbell when his plane arrives.
For those who do not know, the welcoming home ceremony is one of the most emotional experiences I have had, and is precisely what the Army wants. Now imagine families from all over: wives, girlfriends, husbands, brothers, mothers and dads, you name it converging in an area to their soldier return. They take you by bus after a security review, to a large hangar with bleachers on either side. Hanging from the rafters are giant pennants of various divisions or squadrons within the larger company. You walk in and USO volunteers offer you a doughnut, coffee, juice or chips and then you find a place to sit.
Periodically a chipper fellow will go up to a podium microphone and announce that the plane is now 40 minutes from landing and that elicits loud whoop from the crowd. A little time passes and then someone in the back puts on the patriotic Lee Greenwood song, God Bless the USA"...and I swear there isn't a dry eye in the building. Big, old, lumbering men attempting to stifle back a tear (oh, that's right, that was me!). As the songs proceed, and all are of the patriotic type, we still have that chipper PR guy bounding onto the stage to tell us that our soldiers are now only 15 minutes away, and will we please exit the building to go to the viewing bleachers just outside the hangar. I'm telling you we haven't even begun to peak yet.
After we find ourselves outside, we then people watch. Looking at all these far-flung different individuals from all across the country with only one thing in common between us...the tear-inducing expectation of seeing our soldier and finally being able to shake loose the fear that has hovered over all of us for 12 months (this time 15). Our PR guy approaches the mic and informs us that our soldiers are now in sight and if we look over to the right we can see the landing lights of that wonderful, gorgeous bird. And there it is, inhale for a breath or is it to stop a tear, the plane comes in and lands amid shouts of joy, and love and all those days and nights we had to be brave and endure the newscasts and scenes of carnage.
Then a kind of hush, out of exhaustion or maybe just wondering how much our psyches can handle. The plane comes to a stop in front of the viewing bleachers but is still a long ways off.
Next, stair ramp glides in front of a door and the door opens. But no, they won't let us have them yet. A color guard bearing the Screaming Eagles standard and the American flag march smartly to either side of the latest heroes to arrive on home soil. And then, there they are. Full gear uniforms, helmets, and travel bag they come stepping down the stairs and the crowd yells noon stop and many simply applaud. How many was it 200 or 300 off the plane and like a line of ants walk over to the right of the viewing stands out of sight. The funny thing was, I spotted Specialist Blythe right away, with that loping gait and sure enough when the helmet came off, there he was. Takes your breath away.
Now the PR guy tells us to re-enter the hangar and off we go. Everyone back in and the crowd is loud with anticipation and people relating their stories and feelings and anything just to be talking and trying to be normal. When we return we now have a marching live band to play music for us. And then, the PR guy approaches the mic and as we crane our necks to hear he yells, "Ladies and Gentlemen, your Screaming Eagles!" and I swear the tears start up again as the entire left side of the hangar opens and the soldiers march in smart rows toward the dais. And now the screaming multitudes cannot be silenced as the Army drives us to a point of feverish fervor that borders on the criminal.
After a few remarks from the dignitaries and chaplain the ceremony is over. They still get him till a later time, but we have 15 minutes to hug, bless, squeeze, and brush the tears away.

Here are some pics of that ceremony.