Christmas Wishes Are Granted

Julie Cruz saw her son, Army reservist David Castro, and suddenly her holiday season was joyous.

“My Christmas has arrived,” Cruz, 41, who drives a construction truck, said as Castro, 21, and other members of his platoon arrived on Christmas Eve after a year in Iraq. “My months of panic and fear are over.”

Elsewhere in the parking lot of the U.S. Army Reserve Center, other reunions were taking place as family members embraced and talked of hurrying home for dinner and presents.

“He’s gotten so big,” Sgt. Brenda Troche, 25, said as she lifted her 2-year-old son Eliezer. “This is what I’ve been waiting for.”

The scene was the same at an Army center in Long Beach as another platoon arrived to be greeted by family members.

And in both locations, soldiers gave a prayer of thanks. Neither of the 18-person platoons suffered any killed or wounded.

The reservists were college students, bus drivers, retail clerks, mechanics and other things when they were called to active duty with the 729th Postal Company (San Diego) and 394th Postal Company (Long Beach).

The companies were assigned to make sure letters, cookies, DVDs and videos sent from home reached the troops even at far-flung bases.

“Nothing will ever compare to the joy and feeling of elation when it comes to getting a letter or a care package,” said Capt. Gil Florez, 34, commander of the platoon from the 394th.

Postal duty may not be as dangerous as being in a rifle company, but in Iraq there are no absolutely safe places. Insurgents have launched mortars into even the most heavily guarded bases, and roads leading to mobile postal centers are vulnerable to improvised explosive devices.

“We’re all home, all safe,” Sgt. Tony Dixon, 21, said. “That was all we asked for the whole time: that we all get back alive.”

Dixon’s mother, Joann Barker, plans a dinner of steak and chicken. “It’s been so long, too long,” said Barker, her eyes beginning to mist. “But he’s home now and we can live again.”

Heavy reliance on reservists and National Guard troops is a defining feature of the U.S. mission in Iraq. Three-quarters of the soldiers in the command that includes the postal companies have been called to duty for Iraq or Afghanistan.

As family members and reporters pressed for details about life in Iraq, some of the soldiers said it will take time for them to be able to explain the intensity of the experience.

“You’ve got to be there; you can’t explain it,” said Castro, who worked at Home Depot before being called to active duty.

Many of the reservists who arrived home Saturday never thought they would be deployed to a war zone. Most will return to civilian life in a few weeks, although they will still be required to attend periodic drills.

“It feels like such a dream to be back,” Sgt. Lizzel Arcena, 21, said. “This is going to be a special Christmas.”

Times staff writer Rong-Gong Lin II contributed to this report.