KILLEEN, TEXAS Aca,!" The first three troopers from the 1st Cavalry DivisionAca,!a,,cs 15th Sustainment Brigade arrived to the Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport Sept. 17 to waiting family members and fellow troopers.
The Soldiers are the first of the brigadeAca,!a,,cs advance party and are the first of the divisionAca,!a,,cs troopers to return to Central Texas, said Maj. Carl Womack, the rear detachment commander of the 15th SB.
One of the Soldiers on the flight was Honolulu native Sgt. Pomaikai Garza, a radio operator with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 15th SB.
Garza said he had been looking forward to getting home and seeing his wife Tanya, instead of just talking to her on the phone. But that would have to wait a few more minutes.
Tanya, a Los Angeles native, was running a few minutes late because she had prepared some lunch for him and had struggled with some balloons she had brought for him, which were the very first thing Garza noticed about his wife of seven years.
For her, the very first thing she noticed was that he had lost weight since he was home last.
In order to pass the time until Garza returned home, Tanya said she became more active in her work as a real estate agent, volunteering more of her time and helping out with fund raisers. She also said that during the deployment, which was his second since he arrived at Fort Hood in 1999, she had become more independent, learning to do things on her own.
Tanya explained that a couple of weeks ago, when she had found out her husband was coming home, she had to prepare for his arrival by putting all of his stuff back where it was before he left. She had also redone one of the floors in their house, and had to ensure that all the furniture was back in place.
Eventually, when it came time for his flight to arrive, she explained that she was so nervous that she needed her sister, who lives in Killeen, to come to the airport with her.
All of the Soldiers who arrived on the flight received a three-day pass before beginning their reintegration training, said Capt. Stephanie Harris, the rear detachment commander of the Brigade Troops Battalion.
Harris explained that although only three troopers came home on this flight, the flow has begun, and more troopers wonAca,!a,,ct be too far behind.
Aca,!A"I think [the families are] happy to see people coming home,Aca,!A? Harris said.
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