Reunion by headlight : Bravo Company comes home in time for Christmas
Posted on Thursday, December 25, 2008
Daily Record photograph by Sarah Nader Natalie Robinson of Rogers gave her husband Sgt. James Robinson a long kiss when he arrived at the Rogers armory late Tuesday night after spending six months in Iraq. The couple were married just two weeks before James was deployed to Iraq and they were excited to spend their first Christmas together.
The sirens pierced the air well before the flashing lights came into
view on a brisk night two days before Christmas. As soon as the wailing reached the National Guard armory, the waiting crowd silenced. And then they laughed and filled the night with excited chatter. Billy and Dianna Payne stood out of the wind near the armory door until the bus, now pulling away from its police escort, halted in the parking lot. There was a rush of bodies toward the front of the bus, where a throng of people gathered, eager to greet those inside.
The interior lights came on, showing the bus' cargo: two dozen National Guardsmen, fresh off a tour in Iraq.
The passenger list represented the last of the Bravo Company 217th Brigade Support Battalion. Another bus would pull into Fort Smith shortly to unload the rest of the returning soldiers.
Dianna Payne lifted her finger to point out her son, still in uniform, still in the bus aisle. There was Jimmy, home for the first time since last Christmas.
"There he is!" she shouted. "Right there!"
As she waited, Jimmy Payne's mother started clapping and cheering for those getting off the bus, saying things like, "Welcome home," and, "Good job."
And the soldiers had done a good job. Jimmy Payne would say his unit "did a hell of a job," even though their maintenance unit felt like a "duck out of water" while assigned to convoy duty at a base in Tallil. He didn't learn until he was back in northwest Arkansas that word of his unit's deeds had already reached here.
"The soldiers of Bravo Company, under the leadership of Capt. Aaron Cater and 1st Sgt. Gerald Smith, completed every mission as true professionals," Col. Mark Barbosa wrote in a letter to Mayor Steve Womack. "We asked these great soldiers to accomplish a multitude of dangerous tasks, and they performed brilliantly every time. The 'Razorbacks' conducted over 100 combat logistic patrols, traveling over 50,000 miles. Bravo Company's maintenance section is renowned for its hard work and dedication. ... We are proud of the soldiers of Bravo Company and truly appreciate their sacrifices."
The cold Arkansas air finally reaching him, Jimmy's foot hadn't hit pavement before his mother was running toward him, arms open, ready to grab him and hold him. His father and uncle, Bob Abercrombie, stood out of the way, content to wait for Jimmy to reach them.
But the two people who probably missed Jimmy Payne the most, who were most eager for his return - they weren't there. They were home, oblivious that their military hero was once again on American soil, let alone in the same county.
And that was intentional.
Back in Siloam Springs, Jimmy Payne's wife and toddler son were at home, settling down for the night. Jimmy hadn't told them when he'd be back. He just said he'd be home "around Christmas.
"I just kind of dodged the conversation," he said.
His mother told him of her ploy. The elder Paynes had told their daughter-in-law that Billy would be over that night, dropping off a gift that was large enough he didn't want to load it in his truck, unload it, and then do it all over again. She told him she would be staying up.
"You just couldn't dodge it, could you," Jimmy said to his mom.
Billy and Dianna Payne worried their daughter-inlaw wouldn't like being kept in the dark.
"We hope she won't stay mad long," Billy Payne had said before the bus arrived.
Jimmy had a different opin ion.
"If she's mad, it won't set in for days," he said.
Jimmy Payne has about three months before he decides whether to go back to his old job or find a new one. In the meantime, he expects to have a lot of time to reconnect with a family he hasn't seen in almost a year, starting with a wrestling match he owed his son as soon as he got home, if son was still awake that late at night.
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