Towns welcome soldiers

The journey home after time spent fighting a war is enough to bring tears to a military man's eyes, whether the greeting committee is just a spouse and a brand new son or a whole town offering a hero's welcome.

Sgt. Rick Gardner of Highland spent Wednesday afternoon getting acquainted with his new son Ryker and receiving long hugs from his wife, Debbie. The couple found out two weeks after his deployment that Debbie was pregnant with the baby. He was deployed for a year and came home for two weeks when the boy was born.

U.S. Army National Guard Sgt. Craig Campbell, who also served in the Iraq war as part of the 1457th Engineer Combat Battalion, returned Wednesday to his Goshen home after a 15-month tour of duty. The tiny southern Utah County town gave him a great big welcome.

"It was great," said Rick Thompson, Campbell's father-in-law. "It started at the airport, just to see him come off the plane and all of the crying and the hugging. This is really a blessing to have him home. "

Members of the Utah battalion, made up of construction and demolition experts, started returning home late last month.

Some 160 more members came home Wednesday. Like the bunch that returned Sunday, half came home in the morning; the rest arrived in Salt Lake City in the afternoon.

These soldiers, made up of construction and demolition experts, were stationed in Baghdad.

In Goshen Wednesday, signs decorated the elementary school and post office, banners with messages of gratitude lined the street leading to Campbell's house and hundreds of townsfolk turned out to cheer for their uniformed neighbor.

Boy Scouts had placed American flags along the way several days before — and they stood at attention as Campbell drove down the lane, saluting the returning soldier.

Campbell's vehicle was accompanied by three police officers on motorcycles.

"When they pulled off the freeway (Craig) was crying," said Penny Thompson, Campbell's sister-in-law. "And when he saw the Boy Scouts it was all tears. It was awesome."

Campbell's wife had no idea the town was planning such a homecoming

Her brother and sister-in-law were the driving forces behind the welcome-home event.

Though two other soldiers serving in the war were born and raised in Goshen, Campbell is the only soldier deployed who has returned after his service ended.

"It was complete happiness that he wasn't forgotten. It was just overwhelming," said Emily Campbell, Craig Campbell's wife.

Emily Campbell kept in touch with her husband via e-mail on her phone — she doesn't have a computer — and talking to him on the phone once every two weeks.

Many believe soldiers from Goshen have heavenly protection while serving overseas.