Fox Company's Homecoming, A Night to Remember

The wait was almost over. It had been nearly a year since they left their homes, their lives, their jobs and their loved ones for Iraq. Today, the men of Fox Company, 2nd Battalion 23rd Marines were arriving home.

Families eagerly gathered at the Reserve center in Salt Lake City from which the Marines were based. The local Marine Corps League served hamburgers and hot dogs, while families placed their welcome homes signs on the fence, chatted with one another, and nervously paced, while awaiting the arrival of their loved ones.

Meanwhile, about 25 miles to the south, the Patriot Guard Riders were staged and ready to assume escort duty of the returning Marines. The PGR are a group of motorcycle riders who often ride escort for military funerals. Whenever possible, they gladly ride in honor of those returning home from war.

When two large white buses transporting the Marines from Camp Pendleton in Southern California neared their location, the PRG prepared to ride. The Utah Highway Patrol with lights and sirens on, assumed the lead position, followed by the Marines, and the Patriot Guard bringing up the rear. The PGR had been instructed by UHP to block each freeway lane so traffic could not interfere with the procession.

Periodic updates on the Marine’s location raised excitement among the waiting families. One mother, Silvia Ellsworth showed obvious signs of nervousness and excitement. She could not seem to relax as she waited for her son to arrive.

The many months her son Randal had been in Iraq and in harm’s way had weighed heavy upon her. She received weekly emails and occasional phone calls from her son, but holding him in her arms was all she wanted.

The sirens from the escorting law enforcement drew closer. Then, they were there! Police motorcycles, two large white buses and about 25 Patriot Guard Riders pulled into Ft. Douglas and in front of the waiting families.

The Marines exited the buses and quickly went into the reserve center leaving the anxious family members watching, but unable to get that first hug until some brief duty was completed inside the center.

Families and friends, still anxiously waiting moved to the gym on the lower level of the building and waited. Finally, two Marines emerged from the office into the gym and the crowd erupted in cheers. The Marines descended the stairs into the arms of their loved ones. Then, they waited. After several minutes two more Marines made the same trek to loud cheers and clapping. Finally, LCpl. Ellsworth started down the stairs that led from the office to the gym floor. But he only made it part way before his mom Silva ran up the stairs and threw her arms around her son. After a warm and emotional embrace, Silvia wiped away tears of joy and they made their way down the stairs together, with the crowd still cheering.

The joy and excitement was felt by all who were there as each Marine reunited with their loved ones……. wives and children, fiancés, parents, siblings, grandparents and friends.


LCpl. Ellsworth talked about their mission in Iraq. He spent most of his time on a small outpost outside Ramadi where he built close friendships with the other Marines. While there, they helped train Iraqi security forces and provided humanitarian support for local Iraqis. When asked, he said “the heat about July and August was pretty bad”, as temperatures reach 140 degrees in Iraq. But LCpl. Ellsworth offered no complaints. The smile on his face seemed to make the hardships of the deployment fade away.

Even to an onlooker, the joy of the evening was contagious. The long separation from loved ones and the hardship of an Iraq deployment was over and all had returned.

I was happy to be part of this joyous evening and happy reunion, although I had been nervous about attending. I too am the mom of a Marine. I gave my son a last big hug and kiss as he boarded the bus and left for his Iraq deployment from California three years earlier. But I never experienced the joy of his homecoming like the families of Fox Company did that evening, as my son became a casualty of the Iraq war.

But for a brief moment, I allowed myself to imagine that it was my son walking down those stairs…. In my mind I saw the smile on his face, the twinkle in his eyes, the uniform he wore and the pack on his back. But I only indulged in that thought for a moment and realized just how happy I was to be celebrating the safe return of these Marines.

It had been a great afternoon and evening at Ft Douglas. For the Marines and families of Fox Company, life was good again.

LCpl.Randal Ellsworth

My Thoughts on "Taking Chance"

I eagerly awaited the showing of the HBO movie “Taking Chance”. The movie depicted Mairne Pfc Chance Phelps' final journey home after being killed in Iraq. Lt. Col. Mike Strobl, Phelps' escort from Dover AFB back to his family in Wyoming, carefully recorded the events of this special duty. The story underscored the extreme dignity, honor and respect our fallen warriors are given every step of the way, from the battlefield to their final resting place.

First I want to say thank to you Pfc Phelps and his family for their service and sacrifice to our nation and to express my most heartfelt condolences. The final journey of Chance Phelps although tragic, was beautiful. It made me very proud.

My son Adam, like Chance, had also made that final trip home, with a Marine escort by his side after being killed in Iraq. As I watched the movie, I thought about my son and what that trip might have been like for him. Many things shown in the movie gave me new insight about my son's journey from Iraq, to Dover and finally home to Salt Lake City. I was especially moved by the way the bodies of our warriors are treated at Dover. The care and respect shown by each person at Dover surprised me, although it shouldn't have. I had no idea it was that way. My son's body was probably treated with a similar respect, and that comforts me.

The exceptional way a Marine escort cares for the Marine is awe-inspiring. At our request, my son was escorted home by his best friend, then LCpl. Robert Clark. Adam and Bobby grew up together, played baseball together and joined the Marines together, and Bobby brought Adam home. As I watched Lt. Col. Strobl in his escort duty, I realized just what it was we had asked Bobby to do, and how difficult that must have been for him. Just as Lt. Col. Strobl carried the small red velvet bag with Chance's personal effects from Dover and delivered them to his family, Bobby also carried a small red bag containing Adam's personal effects. I had never thought about how it had been Bobby's responsibility to carry that little bag with such care, and ensure it was safely placed in our hands. Truthfully, I don't know how Bobby ever got through that duty. I appreciate what he did for Adam more today, because of Chance Phelps' story.

Some of the same Marines from 2/23 Fox Company (-) who provided the funeral detail for Pfc. Phelps also helped lay my son to rest. For those who gave all and for the families left behind, the Marines truly do this job right. I thank them, and and am proud of them. Their compassionate professionalism comforted me.

This movie gave me understanding about the process and what it took to bring our son home. Despite spending the next few days in tears, I felt better knowing a little bit more about my son's final journey. I am grateful to Lt. Col. Strobl for volunteering to be Pfc. Phelps' escort and for his writings that eventually became this excellent movie. Lt. Col. Strobl, not only did you honor Pfc. Phelps and the Marine Corps, you provided a little more peace to another Marine mom who dearly misses her son. Thank you.

The Last Birthday

Adam had been home on his predeployment leave and would be heading back to 29 Palms on February 10th, then to Iraq in early March. His 21st birthday on April 2nd would be spent in Iraq and that thought made me very sad. With only a few days remaining before his leave ended, I decided to throw Adam a birthday party. It was a little early but why not? As it turned out, it became one of the most fun and memorable birthdays, and it would also be his last birthday.

With only a few days to plan, we put together a nice family dinner and celebration along with gifts of course. For his deployment to Iraq we had ordered a KA-Bar knife, which he said wanted but didn't know we were getting. After all, a Marine needs his KA-Bar. But this was not just any knife, it was more like a small sword, with an eight inch fixed blade, but it was what he wanted. That worked out well, I didn't even have to stress over getting him a birthday present, the KA-Bar would do just fine. Only one problem, February 9th, the day of the birthday party came but the knife did not. Now what? So I had to move to plan B. This was a problem that could be easily solved with a trip to the dollar store and some imagination.

The birthday table was set in Adam's signature red – red everything. Red table cloth, red plates, cups, red wrapping paper, you name it and we did it red. The family all came, we had dinner with lots of laughs and stories. After the meal, blowing out the candles and eating birthday cake, it was time for gifts. Adam opened his presents one by one, and then it was time for his “big present” from mom and dad. Adam opened the box only to find a gray plastic sword with a bright orange handle. He laughed and smiled with those adorable dimples and got the biggest kick out of his new “weapon”. That was a happy evening and one I will always cherish.

The next day, just before Adam was to leave town to go back to 29 Palms, the KA-Bar arrived. Tony and I met up with him on his way out of town, in the Crown Burger parking lot, and exchanged the plastic sword with his coveted KA-Bar. We said our good-byes, he got in his car and drove away. It seemed so sad to see him go even though we knew we would see him in about three weeks in 29 Palms to see him off to Iraq. That was the last time we ever saw Adam here in Salt Lake City. So if you ever see me crying in my onion rings at Crown Burger, you'll know why.

Adam's 21st birthday on February 9th which wasn't his birthday at all, was one of the best!

Cpl. Adam Galvez, USMC
KIA 8/20/06 Iraq

My Tribute to President George W. Bush

As the days count down to President Bush leaving office, a barrage of emotions have come over me that I did not expect. I knew it would be hard for me to see President Bush go, but these feelings caught me off guard. You see, the Bush presidency became very personal to me. It literally defined my life and changed it forever.

When President Bush took office in 2001, we were an average middle class family with three kids, then ages 12, 15 and 18. Life was hectic but nothing too out of the ordinary. President Bush instilled confidence in me. I felt like he had good insight and understanding and could get the job done. After 9/11 he demonstrated an ability and strength of character that made me believe he was the right man at the right time, and that America would be well served by him. I admired his determination and steadfastness to do what had to be done. I knew that President Bush was driven by his depth of character, his core values and beliefs, and his desire to always do what was best for America.

President Bush did not seem to care about scoring political points or making personal gains. That knowledge comforted me when my son Adam joined the Marine Corps in 2004. It was a fact that Adam would be going to war, but he would do so under a president who desired nothing more than to protect America. Knowing that, reassured me. My son would not be putting his life on the line as a pawn in someone's political game or to fulfill some ulterior motive of the powerful. No, my son and every other person who served, did so at the direction of a man who himself was a servant to the people.

On August 31, 2006 President Bush sat with my family and privately expressed his condolences for our son's death in Iraq. The sincerity of his heart was evident. Our son's death was personal to him too. This young American had gone into battle at his direction and had come home to his family in a casket. He grieved with us but remained steadfast in his duty to defend America. Although we had just buried our son, we held firm to our belief in the need to complete and win the war in Iraq. The future of the American way of life depended on it.

In addition to taking the fight to the terrorist and keeping it off our homeland, the U.S. presence in Iraq liberated 25million people, and helped form an oasis of emerging freedom and democracy in the a volatile middle east, which was necessary for our safety here at home.

The President's development of the department of Homeland Security and implementation of various programs to monitor, detect and thwart threats against America have worked. Since 9/11 no attacks on the homeland were able to come to fruition. The homeland had been kept safe.

The last eight years have brought good and bad. I won't say I have agreed with everything President Bush has done, but what he has done, he did out of a conviction to do the right thing for the people and for the country. He has acted with courage, honor and integrity throughout his eight years as our president.

To President Bush I say thank for serving our nation in such an honorable way. Thank you for recognizing the real threats we faced and for acting to preserve and protect our nation and it's people. Thank you for being a man of integrity and being willing to do the right thing regardless of the direction the political wind was blowing. You honored God, you honored our country and now Mr. President I honor you and thank you for a job well done.

Different Than It Used To Be, But Christmas Is Still Wonderful

Whew, we made it through another Christmas! I not only made it through, but it was an especially wonderful Christmas this time around.

When the kids were younger Christmas was all about the tree, massive amounts of gifts, last minute shopping, late night Christmas Eve wrapping, and falling into bed about 2 AM after ensuring every detail was handled. Making sure my kids would have a great Christmas morning was all that mattered. Did I forget anything? Do the presents look just right under the tree? Will the kids like their stockings? Oh maybe I should not have bought this and should have bought that. Those were wonderful times and what I use as the standard to compare every Christmas with.

Now my oldest is 26 has a family of her own. My youngest is 20 and still lives at home, sort of. My middle child lies in a grave at the Veteran’s cemetery. Well, his body lies in a grave. I take great comfort in knowing he is now in Heaven and in the presence of the Lord. Since Adam’s death in Iraq, nothing has been the same, and most certainly Christmas has been different. We miss him every day but at Christmastime the loss is accentuated.

I don’t feel the same excitement about Christmas as I used to. We tend to blame the blahs about the holidays on Adam’s death. How could you enjoy Christmas in the same way when someone you love so much is gone? But the truth is, the lack of enthusiasm my not be entirely due to my son’s death. The hustle and bustle, mad dashes to get the right gift, decorating, Christmas baking and the excitement in the air are enhanced by the presence of children. Moms and Dads feed off the excitement of their children. They are the ones who make Christmas so special.

Now that the kids are grown and there are no children in the house, the deceleration of the Christmas whirlwind is probably a natural progression and not entirely attributed to a missing family member.

There reached a point following my son’s death where I had to quit longing for things to be normal again. My definition of normal was when “Adam was still alive.” I remember the moment my heart and eyes were opened to the concept of the “new normal” It was now normal that Adam would not be present at holiday gatherings, so longing for him to be there was doing myself and the rest of the family a disservice. I had to embrace what was now normal and be grateful for the blessings we had, because they were plentiful.

Just as life without one of my children led me to live in a new kind of normal, so has the “empty nest” syndrome. Life will never be the same as it was when the children were younger. We have grown into new phases of life where everything does not revolve around the kids. That is also a new kind of normal and very nice in many ways. Actually, it’s really nice in a lot of ways.

As I would most certainly be missing my son on Christmas, a special friend told me to “cherish the memories but remember that new memories are were yet to be made.” That bit of advice made me think about what kind of memories I wanted to have when I reflected on this Christmas.

As Christmas of 2008 went into the history books, I could say I had a truly wonderful Christmas and good memories had certainly been made. There were no tears, just a joyous day with those I love and anticipation of many good things to come in the new year .