Photo By Kristen Wong | Staff Sgt. Freddy Velazquez, platoon sergeant, Motor Transport Support Company, Combat...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII - When Elizabeth Garcia’s husband returned home from Afghanistan, he came back to a new house, multiple baseball game schedules, and three sons who have been waiting to enjoy a family breakfast at Boots and Kimo’s Homestyle Kitchen with their dad for seven months.
The Garcia family was just one of many families welcoming more than 200 Marines and sailors of Combat Logistics Battalion 3 home April 30 at Hangar 105.
For the last seven months, CLB-3 has supported Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, providing tactical logistics support to Regimental Combat Team 1 and other I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) units in order to sustain uninterrupted counterinsurgency operations.
The unit’s Embedded Partnering Team also taught the Afghan National Army’s 5th Kandak, 1st Brigade, 215th Corps, how to provide logistical support in their country and work independently as a unit.
During the deployment, CLB-3 also completed more than 30 combat logistics patrols, provided more than one million gallons of bulk fuel, 507 shipping containers of various supplies, and 7,235 pallets of food and water.
The service members also repaired 20 kilometers of road, built bridges, ran supply convoys, and maintained a fleet of tactical vehicles.
Maj. Jennifer Chancy, executive officer, CLB-3, said one of the challenging aspects of the deployment was maintaining the vehicles in difficult terrain, including sand of varying consistencies and dry riverbeds.
“Overall, CLB-3 had a successful deployment due to the hard work and dedication of the Marines and sailors of the battalion,” Chancy said. “They really put in an all-out effort in making the mission successful.”
Chancy, of Delphos, Kan., returned two weeks ahead of the main group and said she especially missed being able to return home from work in the evening. Chancy also missed her family, and plans to visit them soon in Kansas.
Many families were able to communicate during the deployment. Garcia kept in touch with her husband through email. Her husband, who coached baseball last year, requested pictures of his sons playing baseball during the deployment and would give his sons advice and tips through his wife.
“He felt like he was in the season with them,” Garcia, 33, said.
Now that the deployment is over, Garcia said she hopes her husband will have time to enjoy Hawaii in their remaining time here. Garcia’s husband has deployed three times, and hasn’t been able to see much of the island. He has extended his tour here for two more years and she said their family plans to make the most of it.
While some children were reunited with their parents, others were meeting them for the first time. Nicole Shed welcomed her husband home accompanied by his mother, brother, and newborn son, Payson. At just 10 days old, Payson met his father for the first time at the hangar that day.
During the deployment, Shed kept busy during her pregnancy and taught seventh and eighth grade math at King Intermediate School in Kaneohe. She was thankful to be able to communicate with her husband frequently via email.
Shed looks forward to spending time together with her family. Her husband is also looking forward to relaxation, family time and his favorite home-cooked meal — meatballs and mashed potatoes.
| Date Taken: | 04.30.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 05.02.2011 20:57 |
| Story ID: | 69735 |
| Location: | KANEOHE BAY, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 229 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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