Army reservists welcomed home at Fort Totten

After a year overseas, 25 New York reservists from the 77th Regional Readiness Command of the United States Army Reserve who stayed behind when their units rotated home finally got their welcome home at the Ernie Pyle Reserve Center at Fort Totten in Bayside.
The soldiers, ranging in rank from Specialist to full Colonel, had spent the last year in Iraq, Afghanistan or other locations overseas. Because of their various specialties, they had been transferred to other units and stayed extra-time in Iraq and Afghanistan when their detachments returned home.
Among them was 13-year reservist Staff Sergeant Adam T. Navarro, who graduated from the “9/11 Class” at the New York Police Academy, and had worked as a patrolman in Public Service Area 9, which covers Astoria, Ravenswood and the Queensbridge Houses until he was mobilized.
Before joining the force, Navarro had been deployed with the 77th in Bosnia. For the past year, Navarro was stationed at Camp Liberty near Baghdad and at the Camp Bucca internment facility for suspected unlawful combatants. He is unsure when he will be returning to his job in the NYPD because there is a chance he will be deployed again.
Camp Bucca is named after city Firefighter Ron Bucca, who perished along with 245 other active duty and retired FDNY personnel in the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. According to a spokesperson for the Army, there are currently seven NYPD officers serving in the military at the camp.
The group was congratulated by the commanding officer of the 77th, Major General William Terpeluk, who reminded the other soldiers attending that this group stayed behind when their units came home. He quoted Brooklyn native and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps General Peter Pace who said, “We could not be able to do what we need to do without the National Guard and Reserve.”
Terpeluk then reminded the group of the principle of “Family Support, Family Readiness,” and after a brief review of the history, urged them to come forward if they experienced any of the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Each of the returning soldiers was given a cased flag, lapel pins and memorabilia, which were presented by retired Brigadier General Bob Winzinger, as Ambassador for the Chief of the Army Reserve. He was assisted by Community Board 11 member James J. Rodgers, also an Ambassador, who holds the distinction of being the first civilian appointed to the unpaid position.