Soldiers home for the holidays

Twenty-one Army National Guard soldiers, who returned recently from Iraq, received a warm welcome home reception at the New York State Armory in Whitestone. The soldiers, members of the 7th Finance Detachment, completed a one-year tour, operating two bases in the Diyala Province and the Ninewa Province to the north and northeast of Baghdad respectively.
During their deployment, they provided a ready cash supply of both U.S. and Iraqi dollars, check cashing services for fellow soldiers, and transported funds to different locations in the country.
At a “Freedom Salute Ceremony” on Saturday, December 1, military officials presented the soldiers with a number of awards, including the “Defender of Freedom” certificates. These each read, “You have proven that the timeless values of loyalty, respect, duty, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage are so much more than mere words and are a living testament to the highest hopes and ideals upon which our forefathers founded a new republic, The United States of America.”
Staff sergeant Yuen S. Lee in addition to several other awards was given the Bronze Star, which is awarded for bravery, acts of merit or meritorious service.
A native of China and currently a resident of Bushwick, Lee has served in the military for the past 17 years and credited the six soldiers in his command for the honor, saying, “It means that we can perform when given the chance.”
“You have to fight for your people. If you don’t fight for your people, they won’t fight for you,” Lee said.
His soldiers said that Lee “leads from the front,” traveling with them on dangerous missions and listening to their suggestions.
“[Lee] let us do our job,” said Specialist Richard Luttman from Queens Village, explaining that his commanding officer worked it out so that soldiers each had their own “room” in Iraq and pushed leaders to give them sufficient time off between work duties. Lee even remembered the birthdays of each of his soldiers with a cake.
Now that they are back in New York, the soldiers are headed on different paths.
When asked how it feels to be home, Lee said, “It’s great, but I’m used to Army life. It’s part of who I am.”
Meanwhile, Luttman, who had already received a bachelor’s in communications, is considering graduate school. He said he was especially grateful to see his mother, Luz Luttman, upon his return and was amazed by the turnout of supporters and local residents to the ceremony.
“Other people are here for us and that means a lot,” he said.
Although the soldiers had returned to U.S. soil in August, the event was the first many had seen each other in a while because of different deployment lengths and times, and some soldiers like Special Joseph Adwapa are headed overseas in 2008.
“I’m so happy. It’s like your children coming home,” said Colonel Rosa Latorre-Grosse, the former commander at the Whitestone armory, after a tearful embrace soldiers who were once in her command.
The Rosedale resident said that in the military, comrades become more like family than coworkers do.
“We do this together,” she said.
“I haven’t seen some of these people in many years,” said Specialist First Class Eric Wimberly, from Brooklyn. “I ask them all the same question, ‘How do you like retirement?’ and they say the same thing, ‘I miss this.’”