Marines make emotional return to Camp Williams

BLUFFDALE — There were hugs, kisses and tears as family and friends welcomed home 105 Marines of Charlie Company of the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion on Saturday morning.

But the reunion at Camp Williams, where the company is based, was bittersweet because of the two marines who didn't return.

The first week in March, Lance Cpls. Carlos A. Aragon and Nigel Olsen were killed in the volatile Helmand province in Afghanistan in separate attacks. Both were graduates of Mountain View High School in Orem.

Saturday morning, Kim Olsen, Nigel Olsen's mother, accepted hugs and condolences from many of the Marines as the tears flowed freely.

"I am really excited to have these guys come home," she said. "They are all my children now. If I can't hug my son, I am going to hug all the others."

Charlie Company was returning after a seven-month deployment in Afghanistan.

Cpl. David Talbot, who had been sent home after being injured by an improvised explosive device two days after Aragon was killed, was happy to see the rest of the company return.

"I have been waiting for this since I came here," Talbot said. "I am excited to be going home."

The company is made up of Marines from Utah, Idaho, Colorado and Nevada, and Afghanistan was the second deployment for the reserve unit. The first was to Iraq. Current plans are for the company to demobilize and return to reserve training.

Talbot said the loss of the two Marines helped to bring the company together.

"I think it bonded and united us," he said. "It hit us all pretty hard when Aragon passed away. It made us realize what was really going on."

Cpl. David Mayhew, of West Valley City, was sent home in December after a gun turret fell on him, injuring his back. He also was happy to welcome home his comrades.

"I wish I could have stayed," Mayhew said. "This is the best unit I've ever been with."

Family members of Marines agreed that the deaths of Aragon and Olsen brought the realities of the war home.

"It made you a lot more aware of what was going on," said Laura Thornock, of Sandy. "It makes you a lot more anxious for the soldier. This is the end of a lot of waiting and waiting.