Families Welcome This Gift: Army Units’ Return Home

The holidays loomed brighter for dozens of military families Sunday when they welcomed home soldiers who served with Army Reserve units supporting the U.S. peacekeeping effort in Bosnia.

The 155 troops, members of the 176th Medical Brigade, based in Southern California, and the 2nd Medical Brigade, based in Northern California, were activated last summer and sent to Germany for four months.

Family members waited in a gymnasium at the Armed Forces Reserve Center, getting frequent updates on the commercial airplane that was bringing their loved ones home.

Winston McLarty was among those counting the minutes before the jet’s scheduled arrival. His wife, Specialist Evelyn McLarty, was among those coming home.

“It’s good to have her home. It’s good to have her back for Christmas,” said McLarty, who lives in Inglewood. Because he works nights, the couple’s two young children had to be sent to live with relatives in Sacramento while their mother was on active duty.

Spc. McLarty, a food services dietitian with the 176th Medical Brigade, finally walked through the gym doorway and immediately saw the banner and U.S. flags waved by her husband and other family members welcoming her arrival.

“It feels great to be home,” Spc. McLarty said as she hugged her husband. “I can’t wait to go to Sacramento to get my children. But for now, I’ve got my husband with me.” She said that her employer, a video company in Torrance, has agreed to postpone her return to work until after New Year’s Day.

At the other end of the gym, Rosa Rabinal had a firm grip on her fiancee, Spc. Omar J. Vega of Bell.

Vega, a patient administrator with the 176th and a medical records clerk at USC County Hospital in civilian life, seemed stunned by the reception from his girlfriend and family members.

Vega’s four-month active duty stint cost the lovebirds almost $500 per month in telephone bills. He said he spent about $320 per month in calls from Germany, while Rabinal was spending about $160 in calls to him from the United States.

“I’m happy to be home and look forward to going back to work and school and getting married,” he said.

Col. Kenneth D. Herbst, commander of the 176th, praised the work performed by his troops when they replaced the U.S. Army medical unit that was deployed to Bosnia.

“Our soldiers did a professional job for the Army and their country. Reservists used to think of themselves as soldiers waiting for a war to happen,” said Herbst, a cancer specialist at UCSD Medical Center in San Diego and professor at the University of California, San Diego. “Now they are supporting active duty components day in and day out. About 70% of the Army’s medical strength is in the reserve units.”