Back From a Hot Spot, Marines Feel the Warmth

Marines who fought in Fallouja, the Sunni Triangle city that has become an intractable center of anti-American violence in Iraq, returned home Thursday to a cheering, flag-waving crowd of loved ones.

Lyla Nassar, 9, of Katy, Texas, waiting for her brother, Lance Cpl. Tony Leal, held a sign aloft: “Hey TJ, Texas Is Better Now That You’re Home.”

Natalie Howard, 20, hugged her husband, Lance Cpl. Ronald Howard, as he gazed on their 2-week-old son, Blaine. “This is fabulous,” he said.

And Gloria Barrera of Victorville embraced her son, Lance Cpl. William Barrera, and offered thanks.

“God has answered my prayers and brought my son home safe,” she said tearfully. “I’ll never ask him for anything else.”

A dozen buses brought more than 700 Marines from the 1st Battalion, 5th Regiment of the 1st Marine Division to Camp Pendleton after they flew from Germany to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County. The rest of the 1,200-Marine battalion is expected to arrive over the weekend.

The battalion was one of two that took the lead in an offensive against insurgents in Fallouja. The siege was ordered by the White House after four civilian contractors were killed March 31 and their burned bodies hanged on a bridge by a cheering mob.

Along with the 2nd Battalion, 1st Regiment, the Marines from the “one-five” circled the city of Fallouja just after midnight April 5 and began a month of sporadic clashes with heavily armed insurgents. For family members, it was a month of waiting and worrying.

“April was the worst month,” said Donna Wheat of Merkel, Texas, mother of Lance Cpl. Michael Wheat. “We just watched Fox and CNN constantly and kept praying.”

Every knock on the door caused dread for many family members.

“You knew that a phone call meant he was injured and a knock on the door meant he was gone,” said Cheryl Kelley, of Rialto, mother of Navy medic David Kelley, who followed the Marines into combat. “It was a bad, bad month.”

Before the Marines encircled Fallouja, many kept in touch with families by e-mail or phone. But as they moved into combat positions, messages and calls became sporadic.

Olga Perez of Irvine remembers one call from her son, Cpl. Jason Lee, as the fighting raged.

“[While] we were talking, you could hear the gunfire,” she said. “I said, ‘What’s that?’ He said: ‘It’s nothing; they’re just shooting at us.’ He was cool about it, but I had to start taking heart medicine.”

The battalion was in Iraq for four months. Nine of the Marines were killed; 129 were wounded.

“It’s a bittersweet day for all of us,” said Lt. Col. Brennan Byrne, battalion commanding officer. “We’re home, but nine of us aren’t here. They’re not gone; they’ll always be with us in spirit.”

For many Marines, it was their second deployment to Iraq, and the battalion may be returning as early as next June.

“I’m not going to think about that; I’m going to stay positive,” said Christina Haas, wife of Cpl. Zack Meyer. “I’m not thinking about the future, just about our new start, starting right now.”

During the deployment, wives kept in constant touch, helping with myriad matters such as transportation for kids, broken appliances and the emotional ups and downs.

“You know how they say Marines are a special breed?” said Jennifer Hall, whose husband, Navy Lt. Wayne Hall, is the battalion chaplain. “Well, Marine wives are also special: tough, independent, resilient. They have to be.”

For some of the Marines, the immediate future involves family reunions or trips to the mountains or the beach.

Aimee Kane, whose husband is Cpl. Justin Kane, said they had other plans: “We’re just going to lock the door and not answer the phone.”