Alabama National Guard unit returns home from overseas deployment
Alabama National Guard Maj. Joshua Sik stands with his wife and two young children at the welcome home ceremony for the 135th Expeditionary Sustainment Command in Birmingham. (Staff Sgt. Samuel Hartley / U.S. Army)
Alabama Army National Guardsmen from the 135th Expeditionary Sustainment Command (ESC) reunited with their families Jan. 14 after a year-long deployment to Kuwait.
“I’m in disbelief that I’m home,” said Spc. Julius Shelton. “I’m really looking forward to seeing my family and spending time with them again.”
Families, friends and loved ones filled the auditorium of the Church of the Highlands Grants Mill campus, eagerly and excitedly awaiting the return of their soldiers.
“Our families have carried the load while we were gone,” said 135th ESC Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin Gaiser. “Now we’re back, and we have to reintegrate and return to our roles in the families we unfortunately had to leave behind last year.”
U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Thomas Vickers is received with a standing ovation by his soldiers in Birmingham. Vickers is the commanding general of the 135th Expeditionary Sustainment Command and has just returned, along with his troops, from a successful deployment to Kuwait. (Staff Sgt. Samuel Hartley / U.S. Army)
Guardsmen must overcome many hardships on deployments, including time away from those at home and maintaining healthy and necessary relationships.
“The first time I left, my children were little. I’ve deployed many times since then, but now my children are grown, and it almost felt harder to leave them behind this time,” Gaiser said.
However, not every part of the deployment is a melancholy experience. Guardsmen have their own ways of making the most out of their time overseas.
“I really enjoyed getting to know new people, working with them over there and spending time with those in the unit or in the military that you would never get the chance to know without being deployed,” Shelton said. “At one point, I was able to go to Qatar and work alongside the Air Force, and I think that was the best part of the entire deployment.”
Gaiser justified his deployment experience the way many soldiers do by saying, “we serve like everyone else serves, and it is an honor to serve.”
“It’s about the camaraderie that’s built, the relationships you have while you are gone,” said 135th ESC Commander Brig. Gen. Thomas Vickers. “But it never gets old when you hear those pilots say, ‘welcome home.’”
Despite the sensitive nature of the event, Guardsmen found a couple of simple, if not humorous, luxuries to look for after the ceremony.
“I’m going to be honest. I would really like to have some chili dogs,” Gaiser said.
Many of these soldiers can expect a month to recover and reintegrate to their daily lives back in Alabama, but Vickers says the 135th ESC still has a part to play in its effort sustaining freedom.
“The Army has become dependent on the National Guard, so while we take this time to reunite with our families and reward ourselves for a job well done, we have to go back to being ready.”
