Grey Wolves nearly all back home
Posted On: Tuesday, Dec. 8 2009 02:10 AM
By Amanda Kim Stairrett
Killeen Daily HeraldFORT HOOD – Sgt. Christopher Mendez had to leave his soldiers in November, but made sure to be there for them when they returned this month from Iraq.
The truck driver, from the 1st Cavalry Division's Alpha Company, 215th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, returned to Fort Hood in mid-November when a medical screening revealed his wife, Michelle, may have thyroid cancer.
Michelle was diagnosed more than two years ago, but the disease disappeared. Since then she has endured a series of screenings and treatments. The Mendezes have also endured a series of deployments. The latest was Christopher's third to Iraq, and he has balanced taking care of his soldiers and taking care of his family.
More than 200 soldiers from the 3rd Brigade arrived Monday afternoon. Col. Jeffrey Sauer, the division's rear detachment commander, said that 99 percent of the brigade has returned to Fort Hood. Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team are set to start arriving in full force later this week.
Christopher and Michelle have attended many of the 3rd Brigade's welcome-home ceremonies. Michelle said it was important that they be there to support their family – their Army family. Veterans of three deployments, they know how important and special the homecomings are, Michelle said.
She served as Alpha Company's co-family readiness group leader and said because of her bouts with cancer, she was unable to do all she wanted in the position. She tried to make up for that by attending the ceremonies to help out other spouses and loved ones in the brigade, whether it was watching after children or taking photos.
Michelle knows what it's like to be a spouse waiting during that first homecoming. It's a mixture of nervousness, adventure and fear, she said. A flood of questions come to mind: "Is he really on the flight?" and "Is he really out there?"
Ceremonies seem like they take hours, Michelle said, but "once you see them, it makes it all real."
She and Christopher, who have been married 13 years, waited Monday as if it was their first homecoming celebration.
Michelle met the fiancee of one of Christopher's soldiers for the first time and they excitedly examined homemade posters. Christopher hugged and shook hands with others in the company who returned earlier this week.
It was an Army-style family reunion.
"They've given so much," Michelle said. "So this is the absolute least we could do."
Contact Amanda Kim Stairrett at
astair@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7547.