FORT LEWIS — It’s been nearly 13 months since Shawnie Salgado’s husband deployed to Iraq.
That’s 13 months of loneliness. Thirteen months of juggling work and motherhood. Thirteen months of apprehension every time someone knocked on the door or called late at night.
Those 13 months ended during the weekend.
Her husband, Army Capt. Joseph Salgado, and about 110 other members of an advance party of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division returned to Fort Lewis, and enthusiastic friends and family members greeted the returning warriors.
The advance party consists of soldiers from each of the brigade’s battalions and companies. Their job is to help prepare for the return of the brigade’s remaining 3,500 to 4,000 soldiers, who will come home in the next few months.
Hundreds of people filled bleachers at Sheridan Gym for the ceremony. A live video feed projected onto a large screen on one of the gymnasium’s walls followed the return of the troops, beginning with footage of their commercial charter jet landing at McChord Air Force Base.
Once on the ground, the cameras followed the soldiers as they went through arrival procedures. In the minutes before they entered the gym, the screen displayed a montage of still photos taken in Iraq. A six-piece brass band played patriotic songs. Homemade signs adorned the walls.
Saturday’s crowd silenced seconds before the troops entered. Then it burst into deafening, euphoric cheers. The soldiers marched in formation and stood at attention on a blue tarp spread across the gym floor. The noise level spiked every few seconds when a family spotted a loved one.
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