MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- “Boom, boom, boom, boom,” one of them howls with a hearty chuckle.
In the sea of Marines eating breakfast and moving about, they seem stuck together, attached by invisible bonds stronger than steel.
They move about not as individuals but as an amoeba.
“They definitely came back tighter, night and day,” said Staff Sgt. Ajene Webley, deputy family readiness officer for Combat Logistics Company 36. “You can definitely see they’ve grown a bit.”
For the 10 CLC-36 Marines who returned from Iraq March 28, the breakfast was a welcome home, a thank you for their support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and, perhaps most importantly, the beginning of their
reintegration.
While in Iraq, Sgt. Eric Duran, Cpl.’s Neilon Baptiste, Jonathan Brain, Tara Highbaugh, John Hildebrant, Sergio Lopez, Bryan Morgan, Brian Reda, and Lance Cpl.’s Kevin Bett and Justin McDougall assisted
in retrograding the 9th Engineer Support Battalion’s gear.
Essentially, a retrograde is packing up all the equipment used by a unit, or units, during deployment and moving it back to garrison or the next front.
Think of it as a child’s toy chest. All the toys have been scattered throughout a day of playing and they all need to be picked up and put back into the chest.
Of course, instead of scattered throughout, say a house, the “toys” were scattered in Iraq over a lengthy campaign and every piece needed to be inventoried, coded based on condition and packed up to be physically moved.
“Retrograde is probably the worst part,” said Webley. “In the same respect it’s a good thing because you’re going home.”
Besides the arduous task of retrograde, the Marines had to adjust to the field environment.
“Burning your own feces is definitely an experience,” said Highbaugh.
Other memorable experiences and echoed sentiments included not being able to shower for a month and a half, the dramatic climate change, hours worked and the constant threat of insurgent attack.
On top of all that, these 10 Marines were not attached to a group of familiar faces and were expected to do more than just their specific jobs.
Deploying with a large home unit is a big misconception about deployments in general, Gunnery Sgt. Rafael Miranda, CLC-36’s operations chief, said.
“You’re never going to do your own job, be with the same people,” he said. “That’s where the band of brothers comes in.”
Despite the pressures during the deployment, they all expressed the same sentiment, “everybody should go at least once.”
Even though their mission in Iraq is complete, in some ways, the battle could easily be rekindled here, and it’s also why a welcome home is so important.
“It’s part of their reintegration,” said Ruthann Morales, a counselor with Marine and Family Services. “When you leave it’s nice to see people care to have you back.”
A host of issues can arise upon return to the garrison environment.
Just hearing the Marines talk about it, they agreed the garrison feel was very different — saluting again, working regular hours, getting liberty time and not having to be look out for possible improvised explosive devices were just a few of the examples mentioned.
But there are more potential issues because these Marines have been in a combat mindset for almost a year.
They have been responsible for their gear at all times, something as simple as a roommate moving their shoes can cause an issue to surface, said Morales. It’s important for Marines returning from deployment to understand all the possible issues.
Because of the potential for dormant psychological issues to explode, transition and reintegration time is critical for these Marines.
“Everyone needs to be aware they’ve been in an isolated environment,” said Morales. “Just give them time.”
When one battle ends, it seems there’s always another battle waiting.