DARRINGTON — Most homecomings for soldiers and their families are sweet, but one small-town reunion this weekend had twice the smiles.
Brothers Damien and Dana VanLaningham have been in Iraq as soldiers in the U.S. Army, and both had the happy coincidence of finishing tours of duty and getting leave about the same time.
That allowed Damien VanLaningham, 22, to surprise his brother, who is 20, at the airport.
"He said he wouldn’t be able to take leave," Dana VanLaningham said at a party in their honor Saturday in Darrington, where they grew up. "It couldn’t have happened any better."
Dana VanLaningham first went to Iraq from his home base in Fort Carson, Colo., in April 2003 and served a full year overseas. He fought with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment as an Army specialist, helping establish an Iraqi police force.
Despite recent insurgency in some parts of Iraq, he said many things are going well.
"We’ve made a very positive impact," he said. "I’ve seen a very positive look in people’s eyes over there."
Damien VanLaningham is a sergeant stationed at Fort Benning, Ga. The nature of his duties does not allow him to talk about any details of his time in Iraq. He just re-enlisted and plans to make the Army his career.
The boys’ father, Rodney VanLaningham, said it’s hard for nonmilitary families to understand what parents in his situation go through when the country is at war.
"How do you go to work and carry the load of wondering if the kids are alive or not? How do you manage that?" he said. "It’s been very difficult. We’re a close family."
The emotional load is especially difficult in this case, with both boys in combat at the same time. Beyond that, this is the first time both boys have been at home with their parents in four years.
"It’s going to be hard on any parents having both children over there," Damien VanLaningham said, adding he would have preferred that his tour did not overlap with his brother’s.
"But on the big scale, the job over there is more important, is the way I feel," he said.
Friends and relatives shared stories and cake and posed for pictures.
The boys’ mother, Vonne VanLaningham, talked about how she has coped.
"I think the way I get through it is to plaster their pictures up at work, and I talk about them every day," she said. "I think just talking about it helps."
"We’re just glad they’re home," Rodney VanLaningham added.
Reporter Scott Morris: 425-339-3292 or smorris@heraldnet.com.
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