Army reservists with the 317th Military Police Battalion return to friends and families after spending about a year in Kuwait.
By GRAHAM BRINK
Published May 13, 2004
TAMPA - For more than a year, Linda Walters waited for her son to return home from military service.
Except for a few days at Christmastime, he had been away since March 2003, most of the time serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Mrs. Walters avoided much of the television coverage, not wanting to increase her anxiety. She wanted her son to serve honorably and then return home safely.
On Wednesday, Walters' wish came true.
"There aren't words to describe the feeling of having him home," said Walters, who smiled as her eyes welled up.
Sgt. Dallas Walters of Wesley Chapel was one of about 50 Army reservists with the 317th Military Police Battalion who returned to the Lovejoy Reserve Center in west Tampa.
Several others went home or to other assignments straight from Fort Stewart, Ga., where the battalion landed last week.
Members of the 317th spent about a year in Kuwait providing a range of services from law-and-order patrols to establishing customs operations at the Kuwait City International Airport, where they processed more than 200,000 military personnel.
They also provided security for VIPs, recreation sites and deployment and re-deployment convoys.
They celebrated with family and friends Wednesday over plates of ribs and sandwiches. The reservists now get some time off, depending on how much leave time they built up. After that, they will return to reserve duties, though it is unlikely the battalion will be deployed overseas again in the near future.
Maj. Erthel Hill, the battalion's operations officer, said the deployment was a success and that he is proud of his fellow soldiers. It was Hill's second deployment. He was a lieutenant during the Persian Gulf War.
In civilian life, Hill is a husband, a father and a projects manager at an architectural firm.
Hill, 39, of Brandon is looking forward to spending a lot of time with his family and getting back into the "routines of civilian life," he said.
"I'll have to see everything I missed at work and around the house," he said.
Sgt. Antonio Gonzalez-Delgado, 24, of Apollo Beach had mixed feelings about returning. He had missed his family and friends, but he also had enjoyed serving his country and "doing a good job." Before leaving for Kuwait, he wasn't sure whether he would stay in the Army. Now, he's certain.
"It's good to be back, but I definitely want to go back," he said.
