Military Homecoming Brings Tears
by Natasha Vukelic

The families of about 250 Camp Lejune Marines were willing to wait all Sunday night for their family members and friends to arrive back home from Iraq whohad been gone for eight long months.

“I just want to see his face,” said Nancy Builah, the girlfriend of a Marine.

“I just want to tell him I love him and miss him” said another Marine’s girlfriend.

The same Marine’s mother, Beverly Gisclair, said, “There were times when I thought I would never see him again, and I would just pray.”

These people all have something in common. They are the families of Camp Lejeune’s 1st Battalion, and they are all waiting for the return of their loved ones. For the parents of Mike Savoir, eight months seemed like a lifetime.

His mother said, “He may be 26, but he will always be my baby.”

On the other side of the reception room, another mother had a different story. She has two sons in the military, but her boys haven’t spoken in nine years. Fortunately, they were able to reunite by chance in Iraq.

“He knew his brother was out there, and even though they didn’t speak, he worried about him,” Builah said. “That a war brought them together, I think that is a miracle in a time of war.”

Builah awaited her son, Michael, and couldn’t have been more thrilled when he arrived home.

It was a long night filled with tears of happiness. Families, friends, and loved ones started arriving at the reception area at 5 p.m., but the Marines didn’t arrive until almost 1 a.m. Monday. But, for those awaiting their servicemen and women, the wait was well worth it.