Local soldiers scheduled to return home Thursday
Canda Harbaugh/The Western News Jeff Miller helps adorn Libby with yellow ribbon Wednesday in anticipation of the Thursday return of Libby and Troy soldiers who served for the past year in Iraq.
Libby and Troy soldiers from the Montana Army National Guard’s 639th Quartermaster Company are scheduled to return home Thursday night after a yearlong tour in Iraq – getting back just in time for the New Year.
As soon as the National Guard released the unit’s arrival information Tuesday afternoon, locals began to organize a homecoming. Yellow ribbons lined the streets and a fireworks display and flashing fire engines are planned to welcome the soldiers at the armory.
The 639th QM Company, headquartered in Havre with units in Libby and Kalispell, arrived at Fort Lewis, Wash., on Christmas and then spent nearly a week completing the demobilization process. They are scheduled to fly to Helena on Thursday, arriving at 4 p.m. Havre, Libby and Kalispell soldiers will then be bused home.
The unit’s soldiers, about 13 returning to Libby and Troy, had little to do Wednesday afternoon at Fort Lewis but imagined what it was going to feel like to come home. Some had jobs to return to and most would have family and friends waiting for them.
“I work at the mine, but I’ll take some time, spend some time with my kids,” Glen Good said Wednesday in a phone interview from the barracks in Fort Lewis. “I have a whole bunch of leave built up but I probably won’t take it all.”
Glen’s brothers, Gary and Gene, are also in his unit, along with his wife, Amy. Surprisingly, out of the dozen or so local soldiers, there are at least three sets of brothers and two married couples.
“There’s quite a bit of family in our unit,” said John Ferguson, whose little brother, Wayne, returned with him from Iraq, “and we’re all really close, so we’re like one big family.”
Made up of approximately 130 soldiers, the 639th QM Company engaged in three missions – water, fuel and warehouse – which involved issuing and receiving supplies. The unit suffered no casualties.
“We came back with 100 percent accountable for all our people,” Wayne Ferguson said. “No injuries or casualties whatsoever.”
Gary Good wasn’t deployed with his unit for this second tour, but reunited with his two brothers and sister-in-law on Christmas at Fort Lewis to complete the demobilization process with them.
“I had a good Christmas,” he said. “I got to see my family come home from Iraq.”
Some of the soldiers’ family and friends spent Wednesday getting things in order for the return of their loved ones. Tony Berget prepared for returning soldiers and married couple Richard and Amber Brant by making sure they would have heat and water at their home when they walked through the door early Friday morning.
Kristi Gallagher said she made no big arrangements after she learned when her husband, Tom, would get in.
“I just plan on getting him home,” she said.