First group of 3rd ACR soldiers return from Iraq

By Cary Leider Vogrin The (Colorado Springs) Gazette
At 12:21 a.m. today, two Gray Line buses filled with soldiers drove through Fort Carson’s main gate, escorted by the flashing lights of military police. It was the first of several homecomings for the 5,200-soldier 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, which deployed from Fort Carson for Iraq in March. Family and friends anxiously awaited the group’s scheduled 1 a.m. arrival inside a gymnasium on post. "The nerves have settled now. It’s just excitement," said Bonnie Harris as she waited for her son, Staff Sgt. Jesse Harris, to walk through the door. Farther up the bleachers, Kay and Steve Lance got out Kleenex and positioned their camera for the arrival of Spc. Noah Lance. "All Right. Come on!," Kay Lance said, getting a bit restless. "It’s 2 (minutes) after." They wouldn’t have to wait much longer. "You guys ready?" Maj. Mark Solomon, the regiment’s rear detachment commander, asked before the soldiers, dressed in their desert camouflage, marched in the gymnasium to cheers and claps and the blare of Toby Keith’s "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue." The soldiers lined up, faced the bleachers and scanned the crowd as Col. David Saffold, assistant division commander for support, promised to keep his message brief. "Folks, this will be short if that’s OK with you. Good morning!" Saffold said before thanking the group for their service. "The only thing between you and them is the Army song," he said. Minutes later, the song over, their were whoops and cheers as family members rushed from the bleachers to the gym floor. Staff Sgt. Anthony Reid said his plans for the next few days are simple: Rest, watch some TV and drink diet Mt. Dew. "Maybe get out and see how much has changed," he said. The regiment is just completing its second year-long deployment to Iraq. Most of the unit policed Tal Afar, an insurgent stronghold, in northwest Iraq; about 1,000 soldiers were deployed in Baghdad. Thirty-nine of the unit's soldiers were killed during this deployment. The rest of the regiments soldier’s will return over the next several weeks.