BAMBERG, Germany — Bamberg’s Chapel Family Life Center could easily have been mistaken for the waiting room of a glamour portrait studio Wednesday evening as families waited for their soldiers to return home from a year in Iraq.

By the time the last of the 16 returning soldiers had entered the room and taken their place in formation, the makeup was washed away by tears as family members bounced in their seats and hugged each other.

Only a short ceremony kept them from touching that family member — standing just a few feet away — who had been so far out of reach for the past year.

The soldiers, from the 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment and 82nd Engineer Battalion, got a hero’s welcome from their loved ones and from dozens of community members who came to show their support for the returning troops.

“It was great. It’s always a good experience to see our soldiers coming back,” said Capt. Jon Drake, rear detachment commander for the 82nd Engineer Battalion.

The 1-6 Field Artillery and 82nd Engineer soldiers were based at Forward Operating Base Gabe in Baqouba, Iraq. The bulk of their soldiers are expected to return home in February or March.

Sgt. 1st Class Jack Larson, from 1-6 Field Artillery, said the first order of business was finally getting out of his desert camouflage uniform.

“Then I’m going to relax and eat dinner with my family,” he said.

His wife, Rachelle Larson, had started the special dinner earlier that morning.

“I found out at 8:30 [a.m.] that he was going to be on the plane,” she said. “I started baking then.”

Later that morning, she got a call that there was a mistake, and her husband wouldn’t be back on Wednesday. Another call in the afternoon confirmed that he was, in fact, on the plane and would be home Wednesday evening.

Moments before the soldiers were expected to return, Rachelle Larson had forgotten all about the whirlwind day of ups and downs.

“I’m really excited,” she said. “It’s been a very stressful year. I’m ready to have my husband home.”

Her friend, Keanda Bagwell, whose husband, Staff Sgt. Rashoan Bagwell, was coming in on the same flight, said it was a relief to know the deployment was coming to an end for this handful of soldiers.

“Now I know what it feels like to be a single parent,” Keanda Bagwell said.

The two wives said they got through the separation by pouring themselves into their work and leaning on each other when the separation became unbearable.

“Friday night was survivor’s night at Rachelle’s house,” Rachelle Larson said about her get-togethers.

She hosted other spouses of deployed soldiers for a night of movies and friendship during the deployment.

“Friends, friendship really helped us keep it together,” Bagwell said.

Migrated