Home again: Nevada Army Guard soldiers return to Las Vegas after 9-month deployment to Kuwait
For nine months, the soldiers faced sandy deserts, hot winds and the uncertainty of living in a new country. On Sunday, they came home to loving families and new lives as civilians.
After nine months of deployment in Kuwait, roughly 80 soldiers from the Nevada Army Guard’s Bravo Company, 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion, reunited Sunday morning with friends and family at the Las Vegas Readiness Center.
“This feels surreal to me,” said Heraclio Arias, 22. “All I’ve known for the past nine months has been port-a-potties and sandstorms.”
In Kuwait, the Las Vegas-based company of about 140 soldiers ensured continuous communications for allied forces in the region by engineering, installing and maintaining communication networks.
Las Vegan Heraclio Arias hugs his mother Ederlyne Alcaraz & sister Ederlyne Alcatraz after returning from a 9-month deployment in Kuwait pic.twitter.com/LjcmssBkhQ
— Sandy Lopez (@JournalismSandy) February 19, 2017
Howard Kemple, the battalion’s platoon leader, said roughly half of the group was previously deployed. He added that the soldiers will be home for a while; the next deployment probably won’t come for a few years.
As Arias watched his mother and younger sister walk toward him, he joked about how his sister is becoming a teenager and getting pimples — a stage, his mother assured, he went through, too.
“At least you’re not fat,” he said, making his 13-year-old sister, Ederlyne Alcatraz, laugh.
“It feels so good to see my brother,” she said. “We would contact each other on Snapchat, but it wasn’t the same. I can’t wait to talk to him about the Pokemon Moon (a video game).”
Arias’ mother — also named Ederlyne Alcatraz — said she was happy to see her son home safe and sound.
As many of the soldiers prepared for civilian life, they described simple pleasures — seeing grass and using automatic soap dispensers to wash their hands.
“It feels so great to be home,” said Dev’Yuan Williams-Kee, 21. “It was a good experience, but it was also tough being away from my friends and family. … Right now, I’m just excited to see my girlfriend and get something to eat.”
His girlfriend, Rukiyyah Wallace, 22, was overwhelmed with joy.
“He’s not just my boyfriend, he’s my best friend,” Wallace said. “I missed him so much and I was so worried about him. I just want to give him a million kisses, even though he’s probably starving right now.”
Marquecio Campbell, 20, said his deployment was his first time away from home. Despite the challenges, he persevered.
“There were days when we just ate tuna and Fig Newtons, but all in all, it taught me respect and discipline,” Campbell said. “The military teaches you that your past doesn’t define you; your future and what you do defines you.”
Contact Sandy Lopez at slopez@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4686. Follow @JournalismSandy on Twitter.
