The 737th is coming home

[darrels joy]

The 737th is coming home
By ADRIANA JANOVICH
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC


They're on their way home.

After 14 months of active duty that included missions in Iraq, the citizen soldiers of the Army Reserve 737th Transportation Company are scheduled to return home sometime next Saturday.

"Everybody's just standing ready; there's tons of anxiousness," said 36-year-old Kimberly Schoolcraft of Yakima, Family Readiness Group leader for the 737th. "We're just waiting for the word."

Soldiers are expected to arrive at McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma, then head to Fort Lewis, where family and friends will be waiting to welcome them.

Schoolcraft and her husband, Staff Sgt. Myles Schoolcraft, plan to be there.

"Those are my soldiers, our soldiers," said Myles Schoolcraft, a Yakima County corrections officer who has put in 20 years with the Army. He's been home in Yakima since last fall after leaving the 737th ? where he headed a squad of 12 ? in October for medical reasons.

"I want my unit to be back here. I want everybody to come back safe."

While several soldiers in the 737th have been injured during the deployment, no one in the unit has been killed .

Activated in December 2003, the approximately 150 men and women in the 737th spent the early months of their deployment in Kuwait. Since last May, they've been in Iraq. The bulk of their missions have been hauling fuel.

According to Pam Garrison, a public information officer with the 70th Regional Readiness Command, most of the 737th has likely already left Iraq.

"Usually, the process is they take them to Kuwait and make them wait until a place becomes available," she said. "They're probably sitting around someplace, waiting to be put on a plane."

Meanwhile, the members of the old 737th, which served in Vietnam, are planning to put up welcome banners at the Yakima Training Center and in downtown Yakima, and present members of the current 737th with a commemorative coin. The coin recognizes their tour of duty in Iraq and the former unit's deployment in Vietnam.

They're hoping the community will turn out to greet the soldiers when they roll into town, after about a week of administrative obligations at Fort Lewis.

"We want as many people as possible to give them a big welcome," said Bill Timmermans, a former truck driver with the 737th who served in Vietnam. "We want schoolchildren with flags and banners that they made themselves."

The date and time of the welcome rally will be announced later. But when the time comes, "We want as many people as possible to line the streets when the soldiers come home," Timmermans said. "We want as much fanfare as possible to make a big impression on them."

Several other local units are currently serving in Iraq:

* The 907th Engineer Detachment of Yakima.

* The 116th Support Center of Ellensburg, part of the Washington Army National Guard's 96th Brigade.

* The 181st Support Battalion's Bravo Company of Yakima, also part of the National Guard.

* In addition, a Yakima Marine Reserve unit, Bravo Company 4th Tank Battalion, is on its way to Iraq after reporting for active duty in early January.

[Robert Ryan]

welocme to more hereos

[darrels joy]

Families of 737th ready for a homecoming
By ADRIANA JANOVICH
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC


or the families and friends of the citizen soldiers of the Army Reserve 737th Transportation Company, this week ? the last before their loved ones come home ? just can't pass quickly enough.

They've been waiting more than a year, through birthdays and anniversaries, holidays and other milestones. The birth of a grandchild. The stumbling first steps of a firstborn son.

But these last few days seem to be dragging out; time appears to be barely creeping along.

"The clock isn't even moving at this point," says Kimberly Schoolcraft of Yakima, leader of the 737th Family Readiness Group, or FRG.

And there are still more hours to endure before the men and women of the 737th reunite with their wives and husbands, children, parents, grandparents, siblings and fellow soldiers who've already returned because of injury or medical reasons.

The Yakima-based unit is expected to arrive at Fort Lewis, near Tacoma, sometime late Saturday.

"I can't wait," says 40-something Irene Pearcey, whose husband, Gene, is a staff sergeant with the 737th. "I'm very excited to have him home. It's been a long, long year."

The 14-month deployment took the soldiers of the 737th to Kuwait and Iraq, where the bulk of their mission was hauling fuel.

Now, their loved ones are packing for a weekend on the west side, making "Welcome Home" posters, purchasing balloons, planning how to spend a free day together Sunday.

"We probably won't be watching the Super Bowl," Pearcey says. "I would imagine that we'll be sleeping in, and hopefully having a relaxed late breakfast somewhere, just being comfortable and being with each other again."

After 14 months apart, Schoolcraft says she expects spouses to feel anxious, "like you're going on your first date. It doesn't matter whether you've been married a year or 17 or 25."

Jessica Stout, 25, was married just three months before her husband, 23-year-old Spec. Josephe Stout, was activated with the 737th.

"I'm a little nervous," she says about seeing her husband again. "But I'm ready for this week to fly by. I miss having someone to come home and talk to."

Saturday night, the FRG will arm family and friends with American flags. And hopefully, Schoolcraft says, they'll also come with posters and balloons.

"It'll just be one huge celebration," she says.

But she doesn't expect it to last very long.

"There's not a lot of standing around," says Schoolcraft, who's been through a few homecomings during her husband's 20-year military career. "They dissipate quickly. It's just a matter of walking out the door and finally being reunited."

Staff Sgt. Richard "Rick" Peters, 36, and his wife, Angie, are planning to take a lot of pictures Saturday. Rick Peters of Yakima is still recovering from wounds he sustained June 30 in Iraq when the convoy he was traveling with hit a chain of explosives. The squad leader is looking forward to seeing his soldiers again.

So is Angie, 29, who says "I feel like I know so many of them that I'm probably going to go up and hug any of them."

But the 737th won't roll into Yakima until about a week after their arrival at Fort Lewis. When they get here, members of the old unit who served in Vietnam 35 years ago will be ready for them; they've been planning a return rally since the current soldiers deployed, meeting once a week at the American Legion headquarters in Yakima.

Earlier this week, in the back room of the hall, 61-year-old Clare Brower, a former squad leader with the 737th, laid out his hopes for the celebration.

"We want as many people there as possible," he says, remembering the welcome his men received in 1969. "We had a large crowd out in front of the YMCA on Naches Avenue when we came home."

Members of the old 737th are still working out plans for the rally, which they hope to hold in downtown Yakima, complete with high school marching bands, speeches and the presentation of commemorative coins they've had made for the occasion.

They're encouraging people to stay tuned for more information about the exact date and time. And they're also asking local businesses to put up banners and messages of support on reader boards.

Says Brower, "We hope they know they are welcomed and thanked for their service."

[darrels joy]

737th -- Soldiers are finally home

By ADRIANA JANOVICH

YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

FORT LEWIS ? Nearly 14 months of waiting is over for the families of Yakima's Army Reserve 737th Transportation Company ? 128 of the unit's roughly 150 men and women returned to American soil Saturday night.

After landing at McChord Air Force Base near Tacoma just after 6 p.m. Saturday, they entered Fort Lewis' Wilson Gym about 9:40 p.m. There, a swarm of about 500 teary-eyed spouses, parents, grandparents and children held red, white and blue welcome-home posters, balloons and flags.

Back home just three days shy of the one-year anniversary of their departure for the Middle East, the soldiers soaked up hugs and kisses, posed for pictures and beamed.

"It feels great," said 37-year-old Staff Sgt. Walter Castilleja Jr. "It feels really good to be home."

It was the moment for which his 85-year-old grandmother, Alice Castilleja of Grandview, had been praying for more than a year.

"I've been praying he and all the soldiers arrive safely. They went to fight for us, and we should be happy they are coming back," she said.

Activated in December 2003, the 737th left for the Middle East last February, spending several months at Camp Doha, Kuwait. Yakima Herald-Republic chief photographer Brian Fitzgerald, embedded with the 737th, documented the unit's first month overseas. Later, soldiers told readers how they were doing in their own words through a special newspaper feature titled "Letters Home."

In May, the 737th moved into Iraq, stationed at Camp Cedar II. Their motto: "You call, we haul, huh!" Their mission: driving Kellogg, Brown and Root tanker trucks, hauling fuel.

During their missions, the citizen soldiers of the 737th came under frequent attacks, encountering small-arms fire and improvised explosive devices.

No members of the unit were killed during the deployment, but 14 were injured and eight have already received Purple Hearts.

Staff Sgt. Castilleja is awaiting his.

"I just can't put it into words," said the soldier's mother, 57-year-old Mary Castilleja of Grandview. "It's such a relief that he's going to be out of harm's way."

"Thank God he didn't come home in a coffin," added his father, Walter Castilleja Sr., 65.

Irene Pearcey, the 40-something wife of Staff Sgt. Gene Pearcey of Yakima, described waiting at home ? for telephone calls, e-mails, the deployment to end ? as "a constant state of alertness."

"The thing I'm looking forward to is being able to go to bed at night and not panic if the cell phone or the land line are not right next to my bed," she said. "You pray the phone would ring because you were hoping maybe he'd have the opportunity to call. But you were hoping it wouldn't be a bad call. It was really a double-edged sword."

Same thing with the doorbell: "I'm looking forward to the doorbell ringing and not being in a panic," Pearcey said. "All the while he was gone, whenever the doorbell rang ? it could be the mailman, UPS driver, a friend ? and I wasn't expecting it, my heart just stopped."

About half of the members of the 737th hail from the Yakima Valley. Most of the others come from the Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane and Tri-Cities areas.

About 20 had already come back, returning early because of injury or illness.

Six remain in Kuwait, where they are being held because of disciplinary actions until their status is decided. And four soldiers will return later through Fort Bliss, Texas.

Maj. Hillary Luton, public information officer with the 70th Regional Readiness Command, was with the 128 who returned through Fort Lewis.

"They are happy. They are thrilled to death to be home," she said.

Before they could reunite with their families and friends, soldiers had to clear customs, check their weapons and get their bunk assignments for the coming week.


But as soon as the door opened to the gym where the anxious crowd was waiting, everyone was on their feet, cheering, whistling, screaming. The excitement was palpable.

During a brief ceremony, an Army chaplain thanked the families for their support, the troops for their service.

"My prayers have been answered," said 69-year-old Thelma Archer of Yakima, grandmother of Spc. Chad Gray, 28.

"It (the homecoming) was wonderful. All the signs, everything they put together here ? it's indescribable," Gray marveled.

Today, the 737th is free to spend time with family, take in movies, watch the Super Bowl or order room service and stay in their hotels ? it's a free day.

Starting Monday, the soldiers face a week of barracks life at Fort Lewis, where they'll complete the administrative paperwork of their releases from active duty, medical reviews and optional counseling.

They're tentatively scheduled to roll into Yakima sometime Saturday afternoon.

"It's kind of like a dream," said 27-year-old Sgt. Brad Freeze of Naches, cradling the head of his son, Sean, 5. Freeze, surrounded by his 27-year-old wife, Andi, and the couple's 3-year-old twins, Sydney and Skyler, then playfully placed his dog tags around Sean's neck.

"We've been gone so long, I don't know what to say. I'm just so happy," he said.

BRIAN FITZGERALD/Yakima Herald-Republic
A long day of waiting catches up with Tristan McMillan, son of Sgt. Richard McMillan of Yakima.

[darrels joy]

BRIAN FITZGERALD/Yakima Herald-Republic
Sgt. Rachel Lopez-Heiland, center, kisses her son, Matthew, 9, while holding the hand of her daughter, Cetera, 13, at their reunion Saturday. Lopez-Heiland, originally from Sunnyside, was deployed alongside her husband, Guy Heiland, leaving their children without their parents for the year. The family lives in Burien, Wash.

[darrels joy]

737th -- Purple Hearts

Eight soldiers of the 737th Transportation Company have received Purple Hearts in theater for injuries they received in Iraq. They are:

* Spc. Imelda Haro, Yakima.

* Staff Sgt. Norman Shanks II, Selah.

* Spc. Robert Rand Jr., Kennewick.

* Spc. Derrick Winslow, Stites, Idaho.

* Spc. Rodney Palmer, Mountlake Terrace, Wash.

* Spc. Jordan Core, Shelton, Wash.

* Spc. Joseph Ballard, Pasco.

* Spc. Richard Wheeler, Tacoma.


Purples Hearts will soon be awarded to three additional injured soldiers, who were flown back to the United States. They are:

* Sgt. Larry Weeks, Tenino, Wash.

* Staff Sgt. Richard Peters, Yakima.

* Sgt. 1st Class Jack Main, Spokane.


Three other soldiers are awaiting Purple Hearts, pending approval. They are:

* Spc. Fred Morisako Jr., Honolulu.

* Staff Sgt. Walter Castilleja Jr., Grandview.

* Sgt. 1st Class Jimmy Lewis Jr., Yakima.

[Robert Ryan]

Welocme home, thank you for your service, and job well done.

[darrels joy]

Coming home, catching up after a year apart from kin
By ADRIANA JANOVICH
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

TACOMA - The growth of their children.
First words.
The first year of marriage.
The majority of an engagement.

Soldiers of the Army Reserve's 737th Transportation Company spent Sunday catching up on the events and people they missed during their 14-month deployment, which took them to Kuwait and Iraq.

T.J. Rabe, 27, of Sunnyside heard his infant son, born during his deployment, speak ? in person ? for the first time.

Momma. Dada.

"He practices all the time," said his mom, 22-year-old Kristin Rabe. "We would show him pictures of his daddy so he knows."

When the 737th was put on alert, the couple speeded up their wedding date. And when Kristin was pregnant and T.J. would call from Iraq, she'd hold the phone to her belly; the baby would move at the sound of his voice.

His name: Tyler James, in honor of his father, Torchey Jerome.

Now nearly 9 months old, the baby hasn't stopped "talking" since his dad came home Saturday night, his mom said.

And the young family spent Sunday "doing everything he (T.J. the soldier) wanted to do," Kristin Rabe said. "We slept in. We went to the mall; he wanted to look at shoes. We ate at Red Robin because he wanted to eat there. We watched the Super Bowl."

Sunday night, they were gearing up to have dinner at Tony Roma's, another of T.J.'s choices.

"It's just been really relaxing," his wife said. "We just have to readjust, and that'll just take time. So far, it's been smooth."

When she saw him again, on the floor of Fort Lewis' Wilson Gym, "he looked exactly how I thought he would look, but in my eyes he was even more handsome. He just took my breath away."

And when he held their son again "he just commented on how heavy he was."


Newlyweds Jessica and Josephe Stout spent Sunday sleeping in, grabbing a late breakfast, and just being together. The Yakima couple married three months before he deployed.

And Sunday, Josephe, 23, said being back "is still pretty new. I'm just ready to have a full first year together."

Jessica, 25, got her nails done last week for the homecoming ? white, patriotic, stars floating in a purple background. And the kids in the after-school program she leads at Gilbert Elementary School in Yakima made a welcome-home poster, which she sat under during Saturday night's event.

Josephe said he appreciated everyone's effort.

"Walking into the gym, I felt like I'd actually done something, just this great pride for what I'd done," he said.


When the official formation broke into a sea of joyous embraces Saturday night, 65-year-old Walter Castilleja Sr. of Grandview made a beeline for his son, 37-year-old Staff Sgt. Walter Castilleja Jr.

Walking firmly and fast across the gym floor, the former Army paratrooper welcomed his son with a hearty hug, while the rest of the family awaited their turn: 85-year-old grandma Alice Castilleja, with tears in her eyes and an American flag in her hand; 57-year-old mother Mary Castilleja, crying openly; and 35-year-old fiance? Linda Wornell of the Tri-Cities.

"I'd just been waiting to hug him and hold him again," she said.

The couple ? and members of the Castilleja family ? spent Sunday watching the Super Bowl. Walter Castilleja Jr. was rooting for Philadelphia.

Linda Wornell was just "happy he's home."

Theirs was a whirlwind romance. They met at her work where he, a FedEx delivery man, was dropping off packages on his regular route. They went on their first date in September 2003. He proposed in November, when he found out his unit was being activated.

"I knew I had a wonderful man that was going to come home to me," Linda Wornell said. "In the short time I did get to know him I knew it was right."

The pair hasn't set a date yet. But they're planning to soon.


Sgt. Ronald Babbitt and his fiance?, Brianne "Bri" Bailey of West Valley, aren't waiting that long. The couple were preparing to wed at 6 p.m. Sunday at Fort Lawton in Seattle. They're planning to tie the knot again in July in front of family and friends, with a "fluffy white wedding dress."

Sunday, the bride's attire was green stretch velvet. But that really wasn't what was important.

"I love him," Bailey said. "I never thought I could love somebody as much as I love him. I can't wait to have his last name."

She and the couple's daughters, 2-year-old Victorea and 31/2-year-old Emilea, stayed close by his side all weekend.

"It feels really good to be home," Babbitt said. "It's like a dream come true. You always dream of coming home."



BRIAN FITZGERALD/Yakima Herald-Republic
Master Sgt. Lonnie Baughman, 50, of Selah, Wash., accompanies his daughter, Melissa, 25, as she chooses bridesmaid dresses at David's Bridal in Tacoma for her Aug. 27 wedding. Melissa Baughman, whose father returned from a year-long deployment in Iraq on Saturday with the rest of the Army Reserve 737th Transportation Company, postponed her wedding so her father could give her away.

[darrels joy]

128 happy returns
By ADRIANA JANOVICH
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC


FORT LEWIS ? She stood on the balls of her feet, leaning forward, almost on her toes, as if an imaginary cord was attached to her shoulders, pulling her upward, suspending her above the bleachers in Wilson Gym.

Any minute now.

Debi Lunceford was about to see her husband for the first time in ages. What to do with her hands?

She folded them, as if in prayer, then clasped then in front of her or left them by her sides, switching positions frequently in the last few minutes leading up to the arrival of the men and women of the Army Reserve's 737th Transportation Company.

When the gym door opened, a thunder of applause and cheers, akin to a rock concert, erupted.

Within minutes, at long last, Lunceford found her husband, Sgt. John Lunceford. They embraced in the middle of the gym floor and, says Debi Lunceford, 40, it was "beyond words"

The citizen soldiers of the 737th traveled halfway across the world to be here, through 11 time zones and approximately 6,600 miles. Their friends and family have been waiting for their return since the soldiers were ordered to report for active duty 14 months ago.

Now, "I'm just thankful the whole company came back safe," says June West, 51, of Yakima, waiting in the bleachers with her daughter, Jessica Stout, 25, who was waiting for her husband, 23-year-old Spc. Josephe Stout.

"As soon as I saw him, it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders," she says.


Meanwhile, Gene Lange of Mabton lined up alongside photographers from Yakima, Spokane and Seattle television news stations, waiting with his own video recorder, hoping to capture his son's entry into the gym.

The 62-year-old has been growing his mustache since the last time he saw his son, who'd come home for some R&R last October. Sunday, the father's mustache was long enough to twist into curlicues against his cheeks.

"I'll probably ask him to cut it," Gene Lange said of his son, Sgt. 1st Class Michael E. Lange, 37.

Across the gym floor, 27-year-old waitress Andi Freeze of Naches was reuniting with her husband Sgt. Bradley Freeze, also 27.

"My feelings now are very happy," said Andi Freeze. "It's overwhelming. It's been a very long year with three kids."

Three-year-old twins Sydney and Skyler, and their older brother Sean, 5, couldn't get enough of their newly returned dad, clustering around his knees, wanting to be held and paid attention to.

"Daddy, you want to see me run?" Sean asked, looking up at his dad.

They didn't stick around too long.


About an hour after the 128 soldiers of the Yakima-based unit strode into Wilson Gym for an emotional reunion Saturday night, nearly all of them ? along with their friends and family ? had dissipated.

Some opted for sleep. Others went out for a few drinks at a nearby Shari's restaurant, where Spc. Jason Kehr of Moses Lake proposed to his girlfriend.

Dawn Fisk said yes.

And everyone who knew what was happening cheered, according Kimberly Schoolcraft, who was there. The wife of Staff Sgt. Myles Schoolcraft and leader of the 737th's Family Readiness Group, she helped organize Saturday night's homecoming.

"It was outstanding," the 36-year-old said. "I went up to the highest bleacher and took it all in. The energy, the feel, it's indescribable."

That sentiment carried into Sunday.

Some soldiers holed up in Tacoma-area hotel rooms, catching up on rest and relaxation, cuddling with their wives, roughhousing with their kids. Some ordered in. Others enjoyed late brunches out, watched the Super Bowl, had their first beer in ages, hung out with family and friends.

Some were already making plans for Valentine's Day.

On Feb. 14, the soldiers' first Monday in their own homes ? after a week of paperwork at Fort Lewis and a planned welcome rally in Yakima ? Irene Pearcey wants to keep it simple.

"I just want to wake up in the morning and make coffee for him," said the 40-something wife of Staff Sgt. Gene Pearcey of Yakima. "I want to have coffee with my best friend."


But first, shopping.
Sunday, Melissa Baughman went scouting for bridesmaids dresses. The 25-year-old Benton City woman postponed her wedding for the duration of her dad's deployment.

"I couldn't imagine anybody else walking me down the aisle," she said. "My dad and I have a special bond."

She was the first of her family to find him in the sea of soldiers on the gym floor Saturday night.

"I ran out there," she said. "I just held onto him. I just started bawling. I think he was actually holding me up because I jumped into his arms. It was awesome."

Now that 50-year-old Master Sgt. Lonnie Baughman is home, though, planning for the Aug. 27 event is in full swing. The Selah truck driver spent his first afternoon in the United States looking at bridesmaid dresses.

Around 2:30 p.m. at David's Bridal at Tacoma Mall, his daughter showed him around the seafoam, lavender, peach, periwinkle dresses, pulling her favorites off the racks.

"They said they were going to do it when I got back," Lonnie Baughman said, "but I didn't know it was going to be the first day."

Melissa Baughman favored a raspberry-colored, spaghetti-strapped number.

Her dad frowned at the pink, preferring a flowing, flowery lilac gown, which she promptly added to her list.

Her mother Debbie Baughman, 47, was still reeling from the homecoming the night before.

"I was so keyed up," she said. "It was unbelievable."

Her soldier agreed.

"It was pretty awesome to see all those people there," he said. "When they opened the doors, everyone started cheering and it really sent chills down your back."

Plus, he said, "It's just nice to be someplace and be able to drink out of the water fountain instead of bottled water. It's nice being back where you can actually smell the trees and see grass."

His daughter thought it'd be nice to have her wedding at the Richland Red Lion, out by the pool.

But, she admitted, "I still have to discuss it with my dad ? it requires a deposit."

The soldiers of the 737th must report back to Fort Lewis by 6:30 a.m. today. They have a week's worth of medical reviews and paperwork to get through before they can return to their hometowns and houses.


Just wait, said 65-year-old Walter Castilleja Sr. of Grandview, a farmer and father of 37-year-old Staff Sgt. Walter Castilleja Jr. Just wait until they arrive in Yakima next weekend.

"We're going to go all out," he said. "They deserve it."

A three-year Army veteran himself, Castilleja Sr. said he's impressed with the soldiers of the 737th ? and their homecoming.

"Some of these kids are 18, 19 years old," he said. "It really inspires me. They're so young, and they've been to war. They didn't know what war is like. But I think they learned pretty fast. When bullets fly, you learn."

The unit is still tentatively scheduled to return to Yakima around 1 p.m Saturday.


BRIAN FITZGERALD/Yakima Herald-Republic
Sgt. Bradley Freeze, 27, left, gladly pulls domestic duty during his first full day at his temporary home, a motel room in Lacey, Wash. On the floor is his wife, Andi. The children, from left, are Sydney and Skyler, both 3, and Sean, 5. After a week of processing at Fort Lewis, Freeze will return to Naches with his family.

[darrels joy]

Published on Wednesday, February 9, 2005

737th marches home Saturday
By ADRIANA JANOVICH
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC


Organizers hope the public turns out in droves for a hometown homecoming Saturday for the citizen soldiers of the 737th.

"We want everybody there," says Clare Brower of the 737th Veterans Association, whose members served in Vietnam 35 years ago. "Bring posters, flyers, anything to welcome them home."

The Yakima-based Army Reserve 737th Transportation Company returned to Fort Lewis Saturday after 14 months in Kuwait and Iraq, where it was attacked about 50 times with small arms and improvised explosive devices.

But just as happened in Vietnam, the current company didn't suffer a fatality.

"We're proud of them for not losing anybody, too," said Brower, who recalls his 1969 homecoming as "a big, big reception. It was great. This community has always supported troops."

After a week's worth of medical reviews and administrative duties at Fort Lewis, 737th members are expected to arrive by the busload in Yakima.

Saturday's celebration will feature a number of speakers, including Maj. Lawrence "Bud" Bittner, commander of the 737th.

The veterans association will also present commemorative coins to the soldiers. One side of the coin recognizes the old unit's service in Vietnam; the other, the current unit's duty in Kuwait and Iraq.

The veterans group has been planning the homecoming ceremony since the unit was activated in December 2003.

And it's one of many.

Other upcoming ceremonies are also planned for the 737th, by a support group for soldiers' families and Yakima's Veterans of Foreign Wars post.

Plus, a party is planned for the Yakima-based Army Reserve 907th Engineer Detachment, which served 13 months in Kuwait and Iraq, helping control fires from car bombs, mortar attacks and convoy ambushes.

A celebration from 1 to 5 p.m. Feb. 26 is in the works for the 25-member unit, to be held at the Grandview VFW post, 132 Division St.

The post adopted the Yakima unit during the holidays, sending care packages. Now it wants to welcome the unit home.

Explains Schultz, "They were a small unit and we were a small post."
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Yes, I will be posting the articles and pictures of their homecoming here.