Hugs, tears, happiness as the 4th Brigade Combat Team returns home
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Several hundred families were reunited Monday as Fort Bragg paratroopers returned from Afghanistan deployments.
Soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division headquarters and the 4th Brigade Combat Team were welcomed by their loved ones, including some they had never met.
Several paratroopers were greeted by children who were born while they were away; others were greeted by fiancees, parents, spouses and friends as the celebration marked the end of deployments that ranged from six months to a year.
Surrounded by soldiers posing for photos and hugging their families, 1st Lt. Nick Morton held his young son in one hand while his wife, Ashley, pressed his other against her cheek.
"It feels good," Morton said, staring at 6-month-old Everett as his wife, Patricia, looked on.
Across the hangar, a similar scene took place with Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jason Sealy, who clutched his 14-month-old daughter with his wife, Sara, by his side.
When Sealy deployed, Finleigh was still a newborn, just 2 months old.
"It's pretty awesome," Sealy said of his return. "She's so huge."
Dawn Zappala, wife of 1st Sgt. Jon-Paul Zappala, also had a newborn to show off.
Her husband didn't make it in time for the birth of Lily Zappala a month ago and was eager to make up for lost time, she said.
A sign on her daughter's stroller read: "I've waited my whole life to meet you Daddy!"
"He's excited. He's sad he missed it, but very excited to meet her," Zappala said.
Lt. Gen. Daniel Allyn, commander of Fort Bragg, briefly addressed the soldiers upon their return.
Allyn praised the paratroopers, including Maj. Gen. Jim Huggins and Command Sgt. Maj. Bryant Lambert, for a job well done.
"You have written a chapter in the great history of this division," he said.
Allyn also praised members of the "Golden Brigade" — soldiers, mostly from the 82nd Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade, who deployed to Vietnam for 22 months in the late 1960s.
Several dozen of the veterans were honored at the homecoming, marching into the hangar with the returning paratroopers.
The event was the first official "welcome home" ceremony the veterans have received.
"This is 43 years late, but welcome home," Allyn said.
For many, this was just the latest ceremony for careers that have included several deployments.
Sara Crawford has welcomed her husband, Maj. Robert Crawford, back from war before.
But this time, she did so with a noticeable "baby bump."
Crawford is 4 1/2months' pregnant, she said, thanks to a mid-tour vacation to Asheville when her husband was home on leave.
The couple will celebrate their 13th anniversary on Saturday and had been trying to add to their family.
"I'm very excited," Crawford said of her husband's return. "We've got no plans. We're just going to relax. We're just going to take it easy."
Staff Sgt. Devin Carey re-enlisted specifically to go to Afghanistan and had previously served in Iraq, said his mother, Cindy Carey.
She and her future daughter-in-law, Joanna Estes, eagerly awaited Carey's return with custom T-shirts bearing his name.
The family, from Flowery Branch, Ga., said the key was staying busy and not thinking about their loved one at war.
Both said they were excited to have him home.
"There's just no way to describe it," Cindy Carey said. "You just don't know how emotional it gets until you can see the plane and it lands."
The returning paratroopers were part of nearly 9,000 82nd Airborne Division soldiers who were serving in Afghanistan.
Several thousand remain, but all the soldiers are expected to be home by the end of the month, officials said.
The 82nd Airborne Division was based in Kandahar province, where it served as the command element for Regional Command-South.
The 4th Brigade Combat Team also served in Kandahar, operating in Zharay and Maiwand districts.
Two other 82nd Airborne Division brigades also are in Afghanistan. Both the 1st Brigade Combat Team and 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade served in Regional Command-East.
