SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii - During the late hours of June 24 a 10-staff personal security detachment team from the 57th Military Police Company, 728th MP Battalion, 8th MP Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, boarded passenger vans at the Honolulu International Airport en route, here, to receive a welcome home from "Centurion" Soldiers.
The Centurions standing by, here, represented the entire 57th MP Co. joined by friends, colleagues and families.
To the family members who anxiously awaited their husbands and fathers it made no difference if it were 10 Soldiers returning or a thousand.
The ceremony befitted a much larger element.
From the handshake at the airport from Command Sgt. Major Charles Tobin, senior enlisted adviser, 8th TSC, to the final ride home on the H-1 freeway with the Centurion command team, to the welcoming, here, from senior leadership throughout the 728th MP Bn. and 8th MP Bde., the most important moment finally came - the hugs and kisses of wives and children.
This PSD team had responsibility for escorting, navigating and protecting battlefield leaders during a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan. It ensured the safety of battlefield leaders. Each PSD Soldier was willing to place self between the battlefield leader and harm's way at any given time.
Upon arriving, here, Sgt. 1st Class Todd Bailey, noncommissioned officer in charge, PSD, 57th MP Co., spoke about his Soldiers' performance during the deployment.
"I'm very blessed to have these Soldiers, and that God said, hey, you're going to lead them and bring them back, and I'm proud of that," he said. "These Soldiers really bloomed. Their maturity and professionalism in respect to understanding the situation and mission were outstanding."
One of the families at the redeployment ceremony was the Acosta family, consisting of May Acosta, wife of Staff Sgt. Matthew Acosta, shift leader, PSD, 57th MP Co., and their two children Karly Rose and Kalei.
As they anxiously awaited their father's return, Karly Rose and Kalei spoke about their excitement and their feelings.
"It's crazy, on a scale of 1 to 10. I am at a hundred!" said daughter Karly Rose, age 14.
Kalei, 16, the son, added, "I am just glad he is back. I knew he was coming back, but at the same time, I still worried about him."
"This is our third deployment," said, mother May. "It was a lot easier because the kids were a lot older this time, so I had a lot of help. ... Right now, I am looking forward to ... letting him readjust and letting him take his time doing that. I am so very proud of him - not just him, but all these Soldiers and any Soldier that deploys."
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