Thursday, September 10, 2009 7:54 PM CDT
634th families to welcome soldiers home Friday
By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer
hmeeker@jg-tc.com
MATTOON — Heather Jones has been dreaming about a homecoming for her Alpha Co. 634th soldier for nearly a year.
“I’ve been thinking about this day since they left. I see my children running up and kissing him,” said Jones, who heads the local Family Readiness Group for the 634th Brigade Support Battalion based at Mattoon. Her husband is Sgt. Jarrod Jones.
On Friday afternoon, her dream and those of probably many others will come true when Alpha Co. soldiers return by bus to a welcome-home ceremony at Mattoon High School. The arrival is set for about 1 p.m. Friday at the MHS football field.
“This has become part of my life for the past year,” said Jones, a mother of three. “I am ready to get my family back together.”
About 40 soldiers with Company A of the 634th will arrive Friday at Gaines Field, Staff Sgt. Stephanie McCurry said Wednesday.
But before the reunion, Jones and other Family Readiness Group members have one last task: prepare Mattoon for a proper welcome for the soldiers who are completing demobilization at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin. They arrived there earlier this week after ending their tour in Afghanistan. The 634th was part of the largest deployment of Illinois National Guard soldiers since World War II.
“We’re meeting at the Mattoon Armory at 6 p.m. Thursday and we have a lot to do with posters, ribbons and balloons. We’d
welcome any assistance,” Jones said.
Jones recommends that area residents show support by lining the bus route on Friday. The troops will travel to the high school from Interstate 57 on Illinois Route 16/Charleston Avenue then turn at South 21st Street before taking the home stretch along Marshall Avenue.
“It would be great to see people lining that route all the way with posters and signs and American flags,” Jones said. “This is great for their morale when they come back.”
Approximately 300 Illinois Army National Guard soldiers who served with the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team are scheduled to return to Illinois from a one-year mobilization in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, according to the Illinois Army National Guard. While deployed to Afghanistan, the 634th and 135th merged to form the 634th Logistics Task Force and Company D Security Forces.
Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 634th Brigade Support Battalion in Sullivan; Company A, 634th BSB in Mattoon; Company B, 634th BSB in Champaign; Company C, 634th BSB in Springfield, 135th Chemical Company in Machesney Park and Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 122nd Field Artillery in Chicago were mobilized in September 2008.
“It is important that we honor our service members, not only this week as they arrive home to their families and loved ones, but every day,” said Gov. Pat Quinn. “These soldiers have served our country proudly and we must never forget their selfless courage.”
While deployed, the soldiers provided food, clothing and medical supplies to the people of Afghanistan. Other units conducted combat logistic patrols during travels totaling more than 6,000 miles. Training also was provided to Afghan National Police officers, plus medical treatment assistance to Afghan doctors and nurses.
“These soldiers did a number of remarkable things while they were deployed and we are proud of everything they accomplished,” said Maj. Gen. William Enyart, Adjutant General for the Illinois National Guard. “Their diverse skills allowed them to complete multiple missions and helped the people of Afghanistan in ways that will be felt for decades.”
Contact Herb Meeker at hmeeker@jg-tc.com or 238-6869.
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devilishangel61401 wrote on Sep 9, 2009 3:47 PM: