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National Guard soldiers return to Minnesota after Kuwait deployment

WILLMAR-Fran Gonzalez had spent the last two days cooking in anticipation of her son's return home from Kuwait.E4 Specialist Jose Martin Gonzalez Jr. was among more than 150 members of the 682nd Engineer Battalion who returned to Willmar Saturday...

Briana Sanchez / TribuneEmma Sheldon hugs her dad Micah Sheldon at Willmar Senior High School Saturday afternoon.
Briana Sanchez / TribuneEmma Sheldon hugs her dad Micah Sheldon at Willmar Senior High School Saturday afternoon.

 

WILLMAR-Fran Gonzalez had spent the last two days cooking in anticipation of her son's return home from Kuwait.

E4 Specialist Jose Martin Gonzalez Jr. was among more than 150 members of the 682nd Engineer Battalion who returned to Willmar Saturday afternoon. Members of the unit had left Willmar in early October 2015.

Yellow ribbons around trees and signposts greeted visitors on the drive up to Willmar Senior High School Saturday.

Patriot Guard riders lined the road outside the school as families waited on the lawn for the four coach buses that had carried their loved ones from Texas. Many were checking their phones, as the soldiers were texting information about their progress toward Willmar.

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Loud cheers filled the air as the buses pulled up at about 3:30 p.m. Many families had brought homemade signs, balloons. One woman stood along the sidewalk with a sign that read, "Out of my way; my sister's home."

Babies were there to meet their dads for the first time. Kids were waiting to feel mom's arms around them after nearly a year away and to show off how they'd grown while their parents had been off serving the country.

The soldiers stood in formation on the school lawn for a couple minutes before they were dismissed to wrap their arms around their family members.

Specialist Gonzalez was greeted by his parents, sister and several friends. He had made his request for his mother's flautas, and she was going to deliver later that day.

He had lived at home before he deployed and is planning on attending St. Cloud State University now that he's back. "It's tough to see them leave," but it's bound to happen, said his father, Jose Sr.

The house was quiet after he deployed, his mother said. "I think I missed the noise more than anything, you know, when all the boys would come over."

Gaby Gonzalez said her brother had made it clear the he was "starving" when he got off the bus. "He's hungry for a home-cooked meal."

Cheila Maus and her three daughters were easy to pick out of the crowd. The girls, Alexis, Samantha and Lily, wore bright tie-dyed T-shirts that read, "Keep Calm and Soldier On."

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The shirts had been free gifts from the National Guard booth at their county fair. "They were white when we got them," Cheila Maus said, as she watched the girls hang on and around their dad.

The family stayed in touch using Skype while her husband was gone, she said, and they were able to talk nearly every day.

Sgt. Maus's request for his return was to be able to ride his motorcycle home to Appleton, so his family had it waiting for him in Willmar Saturday. Cheila Maus said she would ride back with him, while their girls rode home with their grandparents.

Specialist Kalicia Berg of Hanska was greeted by her parents and little sister, and by her son Kaiden, 6. With Kaiden standing in front of her, she said she could tell that he had grown a lot while she was gone. Her father said the family had lots of food "waiting to hit the grill,"

According to a news release from the National Guard, the soldiers provided engineering and construction support for 285 construction projects worth $20.2 million in their deployment. They worked in seven countries-Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates.

The soldiers from Minnesota were recognized during their deployment for hard work and dedication, according to the news release.

In 42 years in the newspaper industry, Linda Vanderwerf worked at several daily newspapers in Minnesota, including the Mesabi Daily News, now called the Mesabi Tribune in Virginia. Previously, she worked for the Las Cruces Sun-News in New Mexico and the Rapid City Journal in the Black Hills of South Dakota. She was a reporter at the West Central Tribune for nearly 27 years, and retired in 2023.

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