Photo By Sgt. Timothy Solano | Families wait to reunite with loved ones before the last group of Marines with 2nd...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – Elements of 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, returned from a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan last week, welcomed by crowds of friends and family outside the Wallace Creek barracks on base.
Expectant families waited for hours through the evening of June 28 and into the following Friday morning as Marines from Headquarters and Service Company, Company F and Company G were bussed from nearby Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and stood in formation before reuniting with their families. For couples like Cpl. Alexander Suarez and his wife, Coral, the welcome home was too long overdue.
“We got married in November and he deployed in December,” said Coral, holding a sign for her husband to see once he arrived. “It’s been rough, but I think it has made us a lot stronger.”
Many family members can attest to the challenge of overcoming the struggles of marriage as a stressful undertaking, further complicated by a combat deployment. Communication only through infrequent phone calls and Facebook messages made it even more difficult for many.
“If there was a problem or we were mad at each other I just wanted to text him or call him to talk about it but I couldn’t,” said Coral. “I think it really taught us how to build a better emotional relationship.”
Over the course of the deployment, Marines and their loved ones communicated through letters, e-mails and even brief video chats, but for families like the Glissons there would be no substitute for being present for the birth of their first daughter.
“Daniel was able to use Skype to see her being born,” said wife Morgan, “and I would always make sure he got to see her when we got to Skype. This deployment was much better for communication than the last one.”
Lance Cpl. Daniel Glisson is a machine gunner with Company E, and for the first time on July 6, he held his three-month-old daughter in his arms after being dismissed for liberty.
“She’s the spitting image of her dad,” said Morgan. “I am just so stoked that he is finally home.”
As the families disbanded and Marines grabbed their remaining articles of gear and bags, signs were packed away and tents were taken down.
For wives like Coral Suarez, the stresses of the previous several months were irrelevant once her husband lifted her off her feet after running to her. She was easy to spot as her husband read her sign from within the formation.
“Cpl. Suarez, Dame Besos, Mi Amor!”
| Date Taken: | 07.09.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 07.09.2012 14:52 |
| Story ID: | 91288 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 575 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Coming Home: 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines’ families reunited at last, by Sgt Timothy Solano, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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