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Long deployment, sweet family reunions
By JANEL STEPHENS ST. PETERSBURG -- For 200 days, the Coast Guard reservists had been called up from their jobs as teachers, welders and CPAs to serve as Port Security Unit 307, guarding the waters at Guantanamo Bay where al-Qaida and Taliban prisoners are being detained. They patrolled in 25-foot boats that bristle with machine guns. More than 100 of the reservists were back at their home base at the port of St. Petersburg on Monday, reuniting with friends, family and loved ones. All except for Coast Guard Ensign Tom Adams, who waited for hours as other members of his unit left the base in a joyous trickle. His wife, Terri, is a kindergarten teacher and was unable to leave work early because she had used all of her sick days to take care of their two kids, Zakary, 6, and Emilee, 18 months. By 4 p.m., Adams, 37, was alone on base, waiting anxiously as his wife drove from their home in Wesley Chapel. "That's okay," Adams said of the increasingly lonely wait. "A personal homecoming is more along my line." He thought about his little girl and wondered whether she would recognize him. After all, he had been gone a good part of her short life. And his son, while a little older, had cried when Dad had left. "It's kind of tough on the little guy," Adams said. His worries came to an end when his wife pulled into the parking lot with their blue Dodge Caravan. Zakary jumped into his father's arms. "Daddy!" he cried. "I haven't seen you in a long time." He filled his father in on all the events that have occurred since he went away, how he had won a new game on his PlayStation, how Aunt Gloria bought him new gloves and a scarf, and now he wanted to know would they go to St. Louis at Christmas this year so they could play in the snow? Dad turned to Emilee. Did she remember Daddy? he implored. The little girl looked at him from the safety of her mother's embrace. Emilee smiled and stretched herself over to Daddy and into his arms. The reunion complete, she moved on. She pointed to the pale circular object in the sky and said, "Moon." That moon had revolved around the Earth six times since the reservists had left home. The unit, mostly men, had arrived on a plane at MacDill Air Force Base at 10:15 a.m. Monday. From there, they were shuttled to their home base at the Port of St. Petersburg warehouse on Eighth Avenue SE. They came home tired. Some were frazzled. It was the longest deployment the reservists have been on together as an entire unit, making Monday's homecoming that much sweeter. The members of Unit 307 come from Miami, Jacksonville, Orlando, St. Augustine, Fort Myers and Georgia. Some are firefighters, small-business owners and students. Many work on a police force. Unit 307 was formed in May 1999 as one of six across the country to provide maritime defense for the United States and its allies, specifically for equipment and personnel that enter critical harbors or waterways. The port security unit of the Coast Guard can be traced back to World War I, when officers patrolled the beaches on horseback to detect enemies in submarines heading to shore. The first three original units were established in January 1985. The other units are in Virginia, Ohio, California, Mississippi and Washington. The groups were set up to deploy at a moment's notice, said Capt. Paul Crissy, commanding officer of Unit 307. After the attack on the USS Cole, 307 was deployed to Bahrain to provide harbor security. Some worked on a supply ship that provided diesel fuel, food and ammunition. The team returned in June 2001. Three months later came the terror attacks on the World Trade Center. "Within 24 hours, we were in Boston to secure the harbor there in Operation Noble Eagle," Crissy said. He said the reservists in his unit understand the Coast Guard motto: Semper paratus (always ready). However, "The most difficult thing for them is being away from their families," Crissy said. While in Cuba, the team endured intense heat, mosquitoes and banana rats. "It certainly feels great" to be home, said Lt. Tomas Kringel, 41. His wife had come to pick him up. "I'm excited," she said of seeing her husband of 10 years for the first time in 200 days. "It's always good to have him home. Now he can put up the Christmas tree."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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