HAWAII GUARDSMEN RETURN FROM MIDEAST
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Members of the Hawaii Army National Guard returned yesterday from Iraq and Kuwait, where they had been since January. Friends and family members greeted the soldiers after a brief ceremony at the 25th Infantry Division fitness center. Maj. Bob Lesher was greeted by his daughters -- Charla, left, Brittney and Jessica -- and wife Char.
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Reunited at last
The first contingent of 29th Brigade soldiers gets a hearty pre-holiday homecoming
GIVE YOURSELF space and time to get reacquainted with your families, the chaplain told soldiers at Schofield Barracks yesterday.
The 76 soldiers with the 29th Brigade Combat Team, which has been in Kuwait and Iraq since January, listened to the advice, even as many of them already were planning Thanksgiving, perhaps even Christmas, with their families.
They just couldn't help it.
Sgt. Patrick Lapitan got to see his son Daymian on his first birthday yesterday, only the second time he has seen him since his birth.
And Spc. Kilipaki Kanae was going to celebrate his 22nd birthday along with his wife, Angela, and her parents in Mililani on his first day back.
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Sgt. Patrick Lapitan was greeted by wife Emily and son Daymian yesterday. It was the boy's first birthday.
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The 29th Brigade soldiers from the 487th Field Artillery and the 227th Engineer Company were part of an advance party that is expected to help returning soldiers adjust to civilian life when they come off active duty in January. More than 2,200 Hawaii Army National Guard and Army reservists were mobilized in August 2004, the largest activation since the Vietnam War.
Gov. Linda Lingle said all of Hawaii has been looking forward to this day.
"We are glad that this first group have been reunited with their families, especially as we near the holidays. But we cannot forget those who are still serving overseas and the sacrifices they are making to defend freedom and democracy," the governor said in a news statement.
Before the soldiers marched into Schofield Barracks' physical fitness center, Capt. Clint Black, chaplain with the 25th Infantry Division's 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery, told spouses, children and family members "to take your time" in getting reacquainted.
"If things aren't going well and there is miscommunication, give yourself space. ... The reunion process is just that: It's a process," said Black, who also spent more than a year in Iraq.
Black warned family members that the reunion process "may take several weeks, several months, but that is normal."
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
The soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 487th Field Artillery, and 227th Engineer Company who returned yesterday are part of an advance party expected to help other returning soldiers adjust to civilian life when they come off active duty in January.
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Yesterday's contingent also included soldiers like Capt. Wes Swift, a pharmaceutical representative from Augusta, Ga. He wants to quickly get through the demobilization process at Schofield Barracks and be home in time for Thanksgiving next week.
Kanae, who had just completed the firefighting course on the Big Island when he was called to active duty in 2004, has similar hopes. His wife already has made plans to spend Thanksgiving with relatives on the Big Island.
The Lapitans also were planning some quality time together.
"The last time he saw our son was during his two-week Christmas leave last year," Emily Lapitan, said.
"I missed a lot," said Patrick Lapitan, "especially his first year."
Emily, a 2000 Punahou School graduate, and Patrick Lapitan, who graduated from Radford High School in 1997, were married in July 2004.
By Christmas all but 100 members of the 487th Field Artillery and 227th Engineers will be back in the state. The remaining unit members are expected to return with the 29th Brigade in two months.