Editorial

Let's give our Guard a warm welcome home

Friday, April 23, 2004

On Monday afternoon, make it a point to stand along U.S. Highway 6-34 or the streets of McCook to wave a warm welcome home to the National Guardsmen from Southwest Nebraska.

After 15 months of service, 132 members of the 1057th Light/Medium Truck Co. are back in Nebraska and are returning to their homes and families. The returnees include 11 Guardsmen whose homes are in the McCook area.

We're expecting the Guard members to get to McCook about 1:45 p.m. Monday. Let's be ready to honor them along the way.

The Guard members will be coming from Kearney, so they will be entering McCook on U.S. Highway 6-34. After a few blocks on the highway in McCook -- which we call B Street -- the returning Guard members' convoy will turn north on East 11th Street, which leads to the hospital. At East H Street, the Guard contingent will turn left, heading west on H all the way to Norris Avenue.

The convoy will turn left on Norris, going down McCook's main street to C Street.

The Guard caravan will take a right on C, going west to Fifth Street in front of the McCook Memorial Auditorium. After a short jog right on Fifth to E Street, the Guardsmen will turn west again and conclude their journey when they reach the National Guard Armory on West Seventh Street.

It is such a relief to have the National Guard members home. We are proud of them and grateful for the role they fulfilled in the early stages of the Iraq war.

Once citizens of the area have waved their greetings on the Guardsmen' drive through town, the soldiers will be reunited with their families during a short, informal ceremony at the McCook National Guard Armory.

How special that will be. The time apart has been agonizing for the families, but it is so good to have their loved ones back.

As we celebrate the first Guardsmen's return, we join them in concern for the soldiers still serving in Iraq and other duty locations around the world.

The citizen soldiers of the 1057th have served us well and, with their return, give us hope that other Americans serving in Iraq will be returned to us safe and sound as well.

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