BY MATTHEW LAKIN
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
Oct 20, 12:00 AM EDT
BRISTOL, Tenn. – John Cartwright’s cat was waiting for him when he came home Tuesday.
The first sergeant walked in just after 4 a.m., tired and dirty from three weeks of combat training in the Mojave Desert. Flopper greeted him at the door.
"He ran right up to Johnny and just looked," said Cartwright’s wife, Melanie. "He knew Daddy was home."
Cartwright and six other soldiers of Troop F, 2nd Squadron, of the 278th Regimental Combat Team were the first to return on leave since the troop left Bristol four months ago on Father’s Day for training at Camp Shelby, Miss., and Fort Irwin, Calif.
The remaining soldiers are set to return later this month.
The men have nine more days to spend with their families and enjoy a final taste of home before returning to Camp Shelby, with deployment to Iraq set for November.
"It feels really good," Cartwright said. "But you sit here and look and you know it’s not going to be for long. And you know you won’t be back for a long time."
"But it’ll be here waiting on you," his wife said.
Melanie Cartwright picked her husband up after he and the other soldiers drove more than 10 hours in a rented van from Camp Shelby.
When the first sergeant climbed out of the van, he was sweaty and dirty in a uniform he’d worn for 21 days.
"He smelled like a locker room," Melanie Cartwright said.
She didn’t care. They hugged anyway.
The men had just dropped off Staff Sgt. Bill McCormick at his home in Bluff City. His wife, Terri, was waiting but still couldn’t believe it when she saw him.
"He walked in and it was like a vision or a dream," she said. "I think that’s why I had to hold onto him so tight. I just hugged him because I needed to believe he was there."
Most of the returned soldiers plan to focus on the little things they’ve missed – visits with friends, everyday chores around the house.
Cartwright can’t wait to mow his yard. Later he’ll grill some steaks and work on fixing the stove – the one his wife hasn’t used since he left.
"It was just me," she said. "I’ve been using the microwave."
Bill McCormick spent Tuesday eating lunch with his wife, working on his truck and playing with his 7-year-old daughter Chelsea.
"We’re going to take it day by day," he said. "Until 4 this morning, it was all about getting here. Now we’re just taking it slow and doing what we want to do."
They know the time won’t last.
"I’m very glad to have him back, but I know what’s coming in nine days," Melanie Cartwright said. "I’ve been spoiled. I’ve been able to talk to him on his cell phone. I’ve been able to mail him packages and letters that get there in a few days.
"When he goes to Iraq, it’s going to be a whole new ball game."
The men are set to return to Camp Shelby on Oct. 29, the same day the rest of the troops begin their leave. A Veterans Day send-off for the regiment is set for Nov. 11.
Terri McCormick plans to be there to savor the last moments with her husband.
But Melanie Cartwright won’t make it. One goodbye is enough for her.
"I cannot emotionally do it," she said. "I’m just not able. When he left on June 20, he left me. I cannot leave him."
The first sergeant understands.
"It’s hard enough as it is," he said. "If you just have to keep saying goodbye – it’s easier to just do it once and get it over with."
The months that follow won’t be easy, but the soldiers and their families plan to get by, aided by prayer, hard work and the support of the community.
"I’m just looking forward to getting back here and resuming my life," Cartwright said. "As long as we keep the men focused on what they’re doing, I think we’ll be fine. The reality check is going to be when the plane lifts off and there’s nothing but ocean around them."
Story Copyright to WBIR.Com