10/26/05

MATTHEW LAKIN

BRISTOL HERALD COURIER

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Shaylene Cousins made her way through the crowd, her eyes on a single soldier. She ran to her husband, Staff Sgt. Matt Cousins of Kingsport, Tenn., and threw her arms around him.

"I’m tired of waiting on you guys," she said.

The wait came a little closer to ending Tuesday for Cousins and families of the soldiers of Troop F, 2nd Squadron, of the 278th Regimental Combat Team.

The men landed in Gulfport around lunchtime on their journey home to Bristol Tennessee after nearly a year in Iraq – just as American troop deaths there topped 2,000.

About half a dozen soldiers remained in Kuwait as part of a rear detachment. For the rest, the landing marked another step on a long journey from Bristol to Baghdad and back.

The journey began on Father’s Day 2004, when the men left home for combat training at Camp Shelby. They arrived in the Iraqi capital later that year, a few weeks before Christmas.

While there, the troop manned security checkpoints for the Iraqi National Assembly, patrolled the streets, fought rebels and helped destroy roadside bombs.

"These guys have done a lot to be proud of," said 1st Sgt. John Cartwright of Bristol.

Through it all, they never lost a man.

"These guys have seen things that no person should ever have to see," said Capt. Wiley Hammer, the troop’s commanding officer. "They’ve seen car bombs explode. They’ve seen people blow themselves up. They’ve seen human remains that didn’t even look human anymore.

"They did the job they were asked to do. They never said no, they never quit – they just got the job done. Now we’re almost home."

The 129th Army Band from Nashville, Tenn., played "Rocky Top" as the soldiers stepped off the plane in Gulfport.

Susan Fletcher met her husband, Staff Sgt. Timothy Fletcher of Kingsport, inside the hangar.

"I can’t explain the feeling," she said. "It’s so good to see him. But I don’t think it’ll sink in until they get home for good."

That day could come as soon as next week. The men will spend the next few days going through demobilization at Camp Shelby.

They’ll sign paperwork, go through medical exams and think about what awaits them at home.

Most of the men’s families didn’t make it to Mississippi for Tuesday’s return. Hotels packed with relief workers and survivors of Hurricane Katrina left them with nowhere to stay.

That’s fine with most of the soldiers.

"I told my wife, ‘I’d rather get on a bus and see her in Bristol,’ " said Sgt. Kenny Gaskin of Johnson City, Tenn. "I figured it would be all the sweeter to wait and see her at the armory."

Once they landed, the men climbed aboard a fleet of buses bound for Camp Shelby.

They lined up as soon as they arrived to turn in the guns they carried since they left.

"One less thing to worry about," said Staff Sgt. Brian Rasnake of Abingdon, Va.

A few family members waited for them as they neared the barracks. Some waved flags and held up signs.

"Welcome back, guys!" a woman shouted.

Tanya Farley spotted her husband, Staff Sgt. Stacy Farley of Abingdon, as soon as he stepped off the bus.

"It’s hard to believe," she said. "When they left, it was like it was the longest trip ever going back. Now, it was like the longest trip ever coming down here."

Staff Sgt. Robert Joe Duff, the troop’s quartermaster, returned a day early to help with preparations. He greeted the men with a smile.

"Our journey’s almost complete," he said. "We went over there to do a job. We’ve done what we’ve had to do, and now we’re headed home."

As the sun set, a bugle sounded, and the men snapped to attention – one step closer to home.

mlakin@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2558

SSgt Stacy Farley kisses his wife, Tanya, Tuesday afternoon atr Camp Shelby after returning from duty in Iraq. BY ANDRE TEAGUE (Bristol Herald Courier)

Story Copyright to BRISTOL HERALD COURIER