Troops home from Afghanistan

From a lady I have never met, Lori M., from Fort Mill:

"Thank you so much for your story on the homecoming of our local Guardsmen. You did a great job, brought tears to my eyes, runied my makeup!

My husband works in Fort Mill and he saw the buses coming in from Hwy 521, he called me on the cell phone, he was so moved. I wish I had know about it sooner, I would have taken time off to be at the airport. No, I don't have a family member in the service, but I would have welcomed them like they were one of my own.

I really appreciate your writing style and your dedication to your craft.

Have a Great and Wonderful Day!!!"

Few love soldiers like York County people love their National Guardsmen. In Friday's paper I wrote a column about what the Thursday 'Welcome Home' from Afghanistan was like for almost 40 of them, and their families.

And that ceremony, even after I have covered dozens of leavings and coming backs, was as powerful as anything in all my years of watching these brave guys. I ran outside twice so the people I was supposed to be covering couldn't watch me crying just like them.

A terrific young reporter here named Adam O'Daniel was there to make a video for this Web site. He's a tough guy, burly, who chases hard news stories like starving leopards chase their last meals. He will have to build a new room for all his awards. And even he tried to run outside to catch his emotions before he cried like a baby.
"Man, I found out what kind of wonderful people there are in this great country tonight," O'Daniel told me that night. "I was so proud to be there. So proud of these guys. Their families. What they did for ME."

The armory was blanketed with signs, volunteers filled the place with food and love, even a few politicians bothered to show up. Some terrific motorcyclists, many of them veterans, gave the soldiers an escort for dozens of miles. Even one clown with a Confederate Flag on the back of his motorcycle couldn't ruin such a beautiful tribute to soldiers who got off that bus: Black, White, Catawba Indian, and Hispanic.

Dozens of people have written, called, said thanks to me for writing that column. Wrong: I thank these guys.

A fine, terrific lady named R.B. with a husband who went to Afghanistan on this mission left me a voicemail that said "In the South, we say 'You done good!'"

Lady named Tammy told me today. "I cried all day and it is your fault. I never read anything like that in a newspaper, ever."

It is my fault. I did it on purpose. My job some days is to just do what you cannot because you are at work or taking care of your kids: Go and watch and smell and listen to people have real conversations with real emotions, then come back and write it down so you can smell and hear and see and feel it, too.

The politicians who start wars, even in places like Afghanistan that is a war worth fighting, should once in a while watch these guys leave and come home. No one who watches it will ever forget it. They might think twice about the next time.

These guys leave jobs like mechanic and drill press operator to go fight these wars. They leave babies and wives and pig-tailed daughters and sons with shining eyes that are filled with tears. Still, they go. Some of the men home last week were on their second deployment. 13 months, gone.

And by the way: The last busload of these area guardsmen come home Wednesday to the armory around 3 p.m. Go there. Do it. See America. It will shake you to your bones.