5-14-2007

A simple building near the Portland airport was approached by a few white and blue school buses Monday afternoon. While the average passer by might look at the combination and not notice the significance, to dozens of families that building and those buses mean their lives are once again whole.

The building is the Jackson Armory and those buses carried dozens of National Guard Soldiers home from Afghanistan.

Serving as part of the largest wartime deployment from our state since World War Two, these men and women have been away from their families for at least a year, some much longer. They were greeted by a wall of hand painted signs, Mylar balloons and tear-streaked faces.

I had the honor of being on hand as these families were reunited a tad bit earlier than expected. thanks to some speedy flying, the plane landed an hour early which means family and friends were trickling in well after the soldiers arrived.

It seemed like sheer torture for some children and spouses as the soldiers unloaded form the buses and then had to wait for instruction, just yards from the waiting arms of their loved ones.

As soon as they were released, the soldiers received a roar of applause as they marched into the spacious armory.

I saw a grandfather serving as Chaplain handing out gift bags he'd brought back for his grandkids.

I talked with a young couple who got engaged over the internet in January (he left the ring behind for her). They're planning to tie the knot in early July.

But most importantly I saw all of those families become whole once again.