2nd EOD Company Marines, sailors return to loved ones

Photo By Cpl. Sullivan Laramie | Sgt. Chaz D. West, and Explosives Ordnance Disposal technician with 2nd EOD Company, 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group reunites with family after a seven-month deployment during a homecoming event for 2nd EOD Co. aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., Oct. 26, 2013. While many were merely reuniting with family, some were meeting new family for the first time and others returned home in time for their children's first moments.  

CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, UNITED STATES

10.28.2013

Story by Lance Cpl. Sullivan Laramie 

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -Approximately 77 Marines and sailors with 2nd Explosives Ordnance Disposal Company, 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group arrived here Oct. 26 following a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan.

The mission of EOD is to locate, identify and remove dangerous materials such as improvised explosive devices, which pose threats to security, operations, personnel and equipment.

“It’s a big deal to make it through a deployment and be able to come back and see family,” said Christopher A. Scott, the family readiness officer of 8th ESB. “It’s a big day for the troops because they’ve missed seven months’ worth of things. This is just a meaningful way to welcome them back after a successful deployment.”

While the Marines and sailors of 2nd EOD Co. spent seven months putting their lives on the line, they were not the only ones thankful for a safe return.

“[Before he left,] I knew he was surrounded by Marines and trained by Marines,” said Connie Hudgins, the mother of Sgt. Daniel A. Lageman, an EOD technician with the company. “I figured he was in the best hands he could be, but now I’m definitely relieved.”

When the buses finally arrived and the Marines and sailors stepped off, they were met by the cheers and tears of loved ones who eagerly awaited their return. While many were merely reuniting with family, some were meeting new family for the first time and others returned home in time for their children’s first moments.

“Being back is fantastic,” said Sgt. Chaz D. West, an EOD technician with the company. “My wife is due in three weeks, I’m here just in time.”

• Date Taken: 10.28.2013
• Date Posted: 10.28.2013 14:22
• Story ID: 115850
• Location: CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US
• Hometown: ST. LOUIS, MO, US
• Hometown: TERRE HAUTE, IN, US