Welcomes Readied in Southland : Coming home: 1,000 Marines due to fly into Norton and March. Some loved ones plan to go public, others plan to sneak away.

There are five--count ‘em--American flags on Rick Thomas’s tow truck, and a promise of free drinks over at Josh’s Lounge. Rush Eaton, the local cabbie, has hand-lettered “Welcome Back to the USA” on each and every one of his business cards.

Down at the Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center--the raison d’etre for this Leatherneck town--workers say they have been instructed to hang yellow ribbons “from everything that doesn’t move.”

Meanwhile, in Kim Hartmann’s refrigerator lie the ingredients of Sgt. Anthony Kuminkowski’s long awaited homecoming feast--home-made chili, smoked oysters, a bottle of tequila and some Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.

And down at Oceanside, they’re promising the Mother of All Homecomings. Some, like Camp Pendleton wife Joey Bailey, plan on immediately sneaking away for a romantic, intimate night away from the kids, while other Marine wives are talking about holding block parties.

The welcomes are being readied for 1,000 Marines scheduled to fly into Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino and March Air Force Base outside Riverside today. The troops, the first sizable Persian Gulf units to return to the Southland, will be bused to their bases at Twentynine Palms and Camp Pendleton.

The public has been invited to join in the welcome. The Air Force said Norton will be open to visitors. About 100 Marines are scheduled to land aboard a C-141 about 12:45 p.m., and more than 400 others are due to arrive about 2:15 p.m. aboard a chartered Boeing 747.

The Marine Corps suggested that the public could gather along the Twentynine Palms Highway, Route 62, in Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree, and along Adobe Road in Twentynine Palms this afternoon to cheer the busloads of returning Marines.

At Camp Pendleton, a spokesman said the public could greet returning busloads of Marines this afternoon at the San Onofre Gate to the base off Interstate 5 south of San Clemente.

No precise times of arrivals at Camp Pendleton and Twentynine Palms were provided. In addition to the arrival times provided for Norton, the Air Force said a C-141 would carry 105 Marines into March AFB about 11:30 a.m., and another 428 are expected on board a chartered TWA 747 at 4:15 p.m.

Officials said the public will not be permitted on the Twentynine Palms, Pendleton or March bases. Norton AFB can be entered either through the main gate at Third St. and Del Rosa Drive or through a gate on the south side of the base on Tippecanoe Avenue.

By Friday afternoon, anticipation, pride and joy was overwhelming the characteristic reserve of the Twentynine Palms post.

“Seems like they’ve been gone forever,” said barber Vicki Drost, who sent out for a welcome home banner to hang over her barber pole. “They’ve missed so much--Christmas, Thanksgiving, babies. It’ll be good to have them home.”

Courtesy of the Lions Club, the route to the base was studded with yellow ribbons and American flags. Lance Cpl. Patrick Bennett, an alto saxophone player for the base band, said he had spent the last several days boning up on “The Stars and Stripes Forever” in preparation for the arrival of his comrades today.

But there won’t be a parade until May. “It doesn’t do much good to give a party for just 300 when 8,000 are due back here in the next few weeks,” said Karen VandenHoust, executive director of the local Chamber of Commerce.

The bartenders at Josh’s Lounge, a local watering hole, prepared to take down the first of 35 yellow ribbons hanging over the bar--one for every regular patron deployed.

“There’s going to be a lot of partying, a lot of friendly women, and a lot of free drinks,” promised Kathy Klimek, the bartender.

Josh Hathaway said that when his father, Capt. Robert Hathaway, shipped out last August, “my brother was so worried that he threw up in the car.”

“He wasn’t here at Christmas. My mom sent him a tiny Christmas tree about a foot high in a can. He told us that when he opened the boxes, everybody huddled around, and when the tree popped out, all the men starting singing ‘Oh Christmas Tree.’ ”

Kerry White has envisioned the homecoming of “her” Marine, Lance Cpl. Michael Coleman. Acquainted for just three weeks when he was deployed, the couple fell in love by phone and mail during the course of the war.

“We got engaged over the phone about two months ago,” she said. “I thought he would never ask. I told him that when he comes home, he has to get down on one knee and beg. And that’s exactly what I plan to make him do.”

Down in Oceanside, Maggie Karr says she’s going to “steal away” her husband, Master Sgt. Harry Karr, in a van and drive directly from Camp Pendleton to a bed-and-breakfast inn in San Diego. She hopes that, en route, he’ll discard his desert “cammies” in the van and put on a huge red-white-and-blue ribbon “covering just his main parts” before ducking into their hideaway, where she’ll then unwrap her present.

Others, like Cindy Negron of Fallbrook, figure the first night back should be spent at home with the children. So she’s going to order out for Chinese food while the family watches home videotapes of children’s birthday parties and baby’s first teeth--scenes her husband, Vincent, missed while in the Persian Gulf.

Some want to go public with their celebration--after an initial evening alone. Karyl Ketchum promises “to attack my husband--an attack he’ll appreciate.” But the next day, she’ll host a block party for her entire Oceanside neighborhood, “and let Ike jump into the pool that he hasn’t had a chance to swim in yet.”

So is La Costa’s Leigh Cortez, the wife of Col. Chris Cortez, the commanding officer of the 900-strong 1st Battalion 5th Marine Regiment of the 1st Marine Division.

It was his unit, the 5th, that retook the Kuwait International Airport from the Iraqis, amazingly without sustaining a single casualty. And on Friday, he called his wife from Saudi Arabia, where he was turning over passenger manifest lists to planning officers scheduling the chartered 747s for return flights to March AFB.

“We’re having a block party on Sunday,” said Leigh Cortez. “And everyone who has smiled to me during the last six months, I want them there to celebrate with me and my husband, to share this with us.”

Others just want to privately contemplate the end of the war and the long-awaited return of their husbands, some of whom have been gone for seven months.

“I just want to look at him,” said Rita Hall of her husband, Joel, a staff sergeant. “Look at him, and touch him, and make sure he’s real.”

She’s going to let their children plan the first dinner, she said. “It’s something they want to do really bad,” she said. “It may end up being hot dogs.”

The Pentagon announced that these units would be arriving Saturday:

Elements of the 7th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, assigned to Twentynine Palms, and elements of Regimental Combat Team 7, also assigned to Twentynine Palms, will arrive at Norton AFB.

Brigade Service Support Group, Detachments A and B, assigned to Camp Pendleton, will arrive at March AFB.

March AFB officials said 600 more Marines are expected to arrive there from the Gulf on Sunday.

Officials at the bases advised family members to check with support groups for the individual units to learn expected arrival times.

At Twentynine Palms, base spokesman Maj. John Kayser advised the public to to be patient if they decide to come out to greet the returning troops.

“Bring a lunch, pack a beach chair, bring a sun hat and make a day of it,” Kayser said. The Marines have established several communication posts along the 90-mile bus route from the Air Force bases to Twentynine Palms. Reports of arriving buses will be transmitted to local radio stations throughout the day, including KCDZ 107.7 FM, KROR 106.9 FM, KQYN 96 FM, KSES 1420 AM and KDHI 1250 AM.

TROOPS ARRIVAL

About 1,000 Marines returning from the Persian Gulf will be arriving in the Southland today. Hundreds more will come home Sunday. The only arrival currently open to the public is at Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino.

NORTON AIR FORCE BASE

WHERE: Main gate near the intersection of Third Street and Del Rosa Avenue or Tippecanoe entrance on the south side of the San Bernardino base.

WHEN: A flight with 100 Marines is expected at 12:45 p.m. About 2:15 p.m., a Boeing 747 carrying 400 Marines will arrive.

WHAT: The base will be open to the public for the arrival of the Marines, who will remain briefly at Norton and then will be bused to home bases at Camp Pendleton or Twentynine Palms.

MARCH AIR FORCE BASE

WHERE: The base outside Riverside will not be open to the public.

WHEN: About 11:30 a.m., a C-141 is to arrive with 105 Marines, and about 4:15 p.m., a chartered 747 will arrive with 428 Marines. Six more flights, all C-141s carrying about 100 Marines each, are to arrive Sunday.

WHAT: Marines will go on to Twentynine Palms and Camp Pendleton. Families should check with unit support groups for details.

TWENTYNINE PALMS

WHERE: Anywhere along Twentynine Palms Highway (Route 62) or Adobe Road, which leads to the Marine base.

WHEN: Early to midafternoon.

WHAT: The Marine base will not be open to the public and no special events are planned, but the public may line the streets. Motorists are advised to park on side streets and to bring lawn chairs.

MORE INFORMATION: Reports of the progress of the buses--which will travel through Beaumont, Banning and Cabazon before turning off I-10 onto Route 62--will be broadcast on local radio stations, including KCDZ 107.7 FM, KROR 106.9 FM, KQYN 96 FM, KSES 1420 AM, and KDHI 1250 AM.

CAMP PENDLETON

WHERE: San Onofre gate off the I-5 freeway south of San Clemente

WHEN: Mid to late afternoon

WHAT: Buses carrying about 900 Marines will arrive at the gate. The gate area is not conducive to visitor parking, but the public is not barred. However, the public will not be allowed onto the base itself.