Photo By Cpl. Charles Clark | Marines with Wounded Warrior Battalion East talk with members of the North Carolina...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Welcome home. The simple phrase means more than just a friendly greeting. To the Marines at Wounded Warrior Battalion East, it is a verbal embrace of support and encouragement after surviving combat zones abroad.
Five Marines from WWBn-East received certificates of appreciation and thank you packages from seven members of the North Carolina Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association Chapter 15-4 during an informal ceremony at the WWBn-East lounge aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, June 5.
More than a dozen organizations and businesses from Jacksonville, N.C., combined their resources to assemble the packages for the Marines.
"Over the course of the past three years, it has been inspiring to see the outpouring of public support for our nation's wounded, ill and injured Marines,“ said Maj. Paul Greenberg, executive officer of WWBn-East. “The hard work and donations from patriotic Americans and a myriad of nonprofit organizations had a profoundly positive impact on the recovery and transition of our Marines in care."
Retired Master Sgt. H. T. Huchi, North Carolina Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association Chapter 15-4 commander, presented the Marines with their certificates, thanked them for their service and hugged them in a display of the bond service members create and share whether they are active-duty or retired.
“Vets helping vets; it’s what we do,” said Huchi. “Every time I’ve talked to and thanked a veteran, I can see in their eyes just how much it means to them. That is something words can’t describe. It’s our duty to make sure these young men and women who wear the uniform never forget how thankful we are for them.”
After the Marines received their certificates, the veterans said, “Welcome home,” hugged, sat down, talked and shared stories with the Marines.
Huchi shared a story of meeting a young Marine who he knew needed some cheering up.
“I said ‘Hey devil dog, thank you for your service and welcome home.’ I could see in his eye that he was down and out, so I told him I’d grab some lunch with him,” Huchi said. “He told me he was getting out because he was too late to get his reenlistment done. I told him ‘That’s done and over. The sooner you move past it the better.’”
“I asked him what he wanted to do and he said he always wanted to be a NASCAR mechanic,” Huchi continued and gave him some advice. “I told him ‘There you go. Chase after that.’ I got an email from him a few weeks later saying he applied for and was accepted to one of the best mechanic programs in the country. I told him I’ll see him on T.V. in a few years during one of the races.”
“He joined the Marines, went through boot camp and training, survived Afghanistan but had no idea what he was going to do about getting out,” said Huchi. “We just happened to be in the same place at the same time, and I said ‘Thank you for your service and welcome home. It makes a world of difference.”
One of the Marines shared his feelings of being welcomed home.
“Welcome home means it’s good to see you,” said Cpl. Kurtis C. Turner, a Marine with WWBn-East. “It almost feels like you came back together. It’s humbling.”
Having the local community come together and show support for the Marines made them feel appreciated and loved, said Turner.
Huchi said the packages are a small token of the community’s appreciation for the Marines. What matters is they are alive and well back home.
“(Civilians) need to try and lose the fear, extend their hand in friendship, acknowledge the person is a vet and thank them for their service.” said Huchi. “We come out here and let them know they aren’t forgotten.”
The bonds of the community, veterans and active-duty Marines were strengthened because of the selfless acts from the community for the Marines.
“It means more than you know,” said Turner. “It’s good to know the community cares about us.”
| Date Taken: | 06.07.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 06.07.2013 15:00 |
| Story ID: | 108287 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 168 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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