Schofield troops lining up for home leave

By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer

KIRKUK, Iraq — Spc. Evaristo Arellano looks forward to holding his newborn daughter for the first time, and seeing if her green eyes are the same as his wife's.

Spc. Evaristo Arellano has a special reason for looking forward to two weeks of R&R with his family in Brownsville, Texas. His daughter, Naomi, was born on March 11, and he will be seeing her in person for the first time. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

Staff Sgt. Randy Van Zandt, meanwhile, just wants to be part of his wife and children's routine again — even for a short while.

The Schofield Barracks soldiers are among the first to get a 15-day "rest and recuperation" trip back home as part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team's yearlong deployment to Iraq.

"I told my wife on the phone the other night, I don't really have anything wild and crazy planned," Van Zandt said. "I just want to super saturate myself with them."

Because only about 200 soldiers can be rotated home each month, the R&R program — intended to break up the long stretch of duty — already is starting up, just two months after the Hawai'i soldiers entered Iraq.

There isn't much carping from the early birds, though. And nobody's turning down the chance to go home.

"My wife's excited without a doubt, but she's a little upset because she wanted me to take it a little bit later in the deployment," Van Zandt said. "I told her, not everyone's guaranteed they are going to get leave, so I'm going to count my blessings and not think twice about it."

U.S. Central Command started the leave program on Sept. 25 as a stress reliever for soldiers deployed to Iraq for a year.

Initially, government-paid travel was provided only to Germany and three Mainland airports: Dallas-Fort Worth, Baltimore-Washington, and Atlanta. Soldiers had to pay their way home from there.

The 15 days exclude travel, "so soldiers will get 15 days at home," said Maj. Scott Halstead, the 2nd Brigade adjutant.

"It's phenomenal," Halstead said. "I would fly all the way home for one day at home."

The goal of the 1st Infantry Division, the 2nd Brigade's higher command, is to get 80 percent of soldiers home, he said.

Soldiers who have been wounded, served on back-to-back deployments, or had children born since they've been gone are given first priority.

"We left a lot of pregnant wives," Halstead said, "At least 30 babies have been born."

Halstead said the Army wants to "reward our best team players," and job performance is another criterion.

Higher-ranking officers generally won't get to go home. For those who don't, there's a four-day leave to Qatar where soldiers can play golf, eat in restaurants, and get cable TV.

"It's a place to relax and get away from Iraq," Halstead said. "It's not with your family, but it's a four-day break."

MOORE

His first child, a daughter named Naomi, was born March 11.

"Hold my baby," is the first thing Arellano said he wants to do. He added it was hard being away when his daughter was born.

"I can't describe the feeling. It was like ... what am I missing out on?" he said. "My mom sent pictures of (my wife) and the baby, and my mom and the baby. That kind of relieved some of the stress."

The second thing Arellano probably will do is look closely at his daughter's eyes. He has seen pictures, but up close will be different.

"My wife has green eyes. Every time I call her I ask if (Naomi's) eyes have changed, because right now, her eyes are kind of green, and I'm praying she keeps her eyes green."

Some soldiers say the home leave makes it twice as hard to return to Iraq. Every service member gets medical and suicide prevention briefings, and married and dating soldiers get a "reunion" briefing.

"I'm just thinking about 15 days," Arellano said. "After that, I just go with the flow again."

Van Zandt also recently became a new father, but he also has two children ages 4 and 5.

"I've got my own squad waiting at home for me," he said, adding he's heading back to Honolulu to see his new son, and provide some reassurance to his older kids.

"My wife's been through this before. She's pretty tough," Van Zandt said. "But I want to reassure my kids; Daddy won't be gone forever, just a little while."

For Van Zandt, 29, pizza, a movie and cartoons with his family is enough.

"Every Friday night is pizza night. That's their biggest thing — order a pizza and a movie," he said, "and Saturday morning is cartoons without a doubt."

Moore, a 23-year-old team leader who's also with Charlie Company, 1-21, got married in December 2002 and three months later parachuted into H-1 Airport west of Baghdad with the 3rd Ranger Battalion out of Fort Benning, Ga.

Before that, he was in Afghanistan. The three deployments in a row helped secure him a seat on a plane heading home.

He's hoping to go to Maui with his wife, Katie, on April 12 — if he's there in time. Air transport has been limited with soldiers like the 82nd Airborne rotating out of Iraq.

"We never had a honeymoon," said Moore's wife, Katie, 23, from her home at Wheeler Army Airfield on O'ahu. She said she was thrilled when her husband called to say he may be coming home. "So, this is going to be our honeymoon. It feels like we've never seen each other."

Although the two have no children, they did get a mixed pit bull/ Labrador puppy named "Mudslide." Moore will return to find an overly friendly, 70-pound dog with a bark loud enough to rattle the windows.

He's also wondering about the reception returning soldiers will get back in Hawai'i.

"With Vietnam, a lot of people didn't like the troops when they came home," he said.

The rumor mill in Iraq had it that the Schofield soldiers would get R&R, and then they wouldn't, and then they would.

"I still can't believe it," Moore said. "Until I'm on the plane, I won't believe it."

Staff writer Will Hoover contributed to this report.