DALTON — Joan Barrett has said a teary goodbye to her son three times.
And each time Gill Barrett has returned from deployment with the state National Guard, he’s been met with a teary welcome back.
First, it was Operation Desert Storm in the 1990s. Several years later it was Iraq. On Tuesday, he and 89 other soldiers with the Dalton-based Charlie Troop returned from Afghanistan after almost a year-long deployment, greeted with a festive, emotion-filled “Welcome Home” ceremony at Harmon Field.
“I cried when he left and I cried when he came home,” Joan Barrett, of Cleveland, Tenn., said as she fought back tears while the soldiers were en route to the football field on Crawford Street. “I’m crying because I’m so happy. I know that we’ve lost boys, I’m just happy that the boys are coming back in.”
Welcoming the soldiers were several hundred family members, friends and area residents who milled around Charlie Troop’s headquarters at the National Guard Armory, just across the field from the stadium. Some tied yellow ribbons to car antennas, some brought American flags that flapped in the stiff breeze, many held banners relaying their excitement.
“Wally, we are proud of you”
“Brookwood says thank you”
“Welcome back Avery’s daddy”
“I’ve been dreaming of this moment for ... 323 days!”
The Barrett family hung a banner on the field’s fence — “Welcome Home Gill” — that has been unfurled and displayed each time he has returned home from overseas.
Shortly before 2 p.m., the family members, friends and residents nervously waited. Many snapped pictures of the crowd, while a few documented the event with video cameras. Several Chattanooga and Dalton television reporters scrambled to interview the anxious family members before the soldiers arrived. Phone calls provided almost a play-by-play account of the troop’s caravan north on I-75, to the main Dalton exit, a bus change at the Walnut Avenue Kmart and the ride on Thornton Avenue to Crawford Street.
In the distance, wailing police sirens gave away the soldiers’ arrival. Five police cars led two school buses as they crested a small hill on Crawford Street. People scrambled to line the road and get their first glimpse in a long time of their loved ones. There were the Patriot Riders followed by a few support vehicles and six more police cars. The buses stopped on Cappes Street, where the soldiers emptied and made their way onto the football practice field to line up in formation. They then marched onto Harmon Field to a chorus of cheers, whistles and air horns. After a short ceremony, the soldiers were allowed to sit with their families. They were met with hugs, kisses, handshakes and tears.
Waiting for Charlie Troop member Brian Barry was his youngest daughter, Jordan. She wasn’t only celebrating the return of her daddy, but also her first birthday on Tuesday. Barry last saw Jordan when she was four days old. He was also reunited with his oldest daughter, Jaden.
“It is awesome,” said Janna Barry, Brian’s wife. “They’ve moved it so many times it feels like the best birthday present ever.” The return was originally scheduled for Sunday.
Joan Barrett was asked if the deployments get easier to deal with.
“No, no, no,” she said, noting that they get tougher. “This one has been the hardest. This has been the worst deployment. Too much information. Too much is going on over there.”
Before the ceremony, members of the Barrett family predicted how they would react to seeing their stepfather, husband and son again.
“Scream,” Amber Daugherty, the stepdaughter said.
“Cry,” the mother said.
“I’ll be the one around his neck,” Melissa Barrett, the wife, said.
Three reactions felt by countless others on Tuesday.
Local News
March 10, 2010
Open arms greet troops upon return
- Local News
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