Brigade returns after year in Iraq

FORT DRUM — For a soldier returning home from a war zone, it may have been either the most comforting or embarrassing sight — or a little of both.

"Welcome home Mikey!" read the banner, "Mommy loves you!"

Taped under the elevated running track of the gymnasium at the post's Magrath Sports Complex, it was one among dozens of personal messages spangled in red, white and blue to help welcome home 351 soldiers Monday morning after a yearlong Iraq deployment.

The soldiers, led by Col. Mark E. Drake, commander of the 10th Sustainment Brigade, included troops assigned to the brigade's headquarters unit, 548th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, as well as others with the 91st Military Police Battalion.

"We provided sustainment support to over 140,000 soldiers — basically, one-third of Iraq," Col. Drake said, following a brief formal ceremony.

All around him were embracing families and friends. A woman broke a hug with a man clad in camouflage to regard him with a grin, her cheeks red, puffy and wet with tears.

Many other soldiers joined those from Fort Drum's 10th Sustainment Brigade in Iraq, creating a combined force of 4,600, Col. Drake said. Those soldiers were responsible for keeping two dozen troop locations supplied with food, water and ammunition.

The job, involving a lot of transportation, became more dangerous following the pullout of American combat troops from Iraqi cities at the end of June, the commander said.

"Our mission didn't change. We were still going out to our base camps, delivering sustainment to maintain the soldiers. What changed is we became a bigger target, because we were the only guys at night operating the majority of the time. Our main supply routes were still through the cities."

"The enemy's still out there," he said. "The enemy's still out there, still wants to kill us."

Still, he added, conditions on the ground "are improving."

In the crowd, 4-year-old Logun Peed greeted his father, Spc. Jeremiah M., in style. Matching his dad in a uniform many times smaller, Logun grabbed attention with his gravity-defying Mohawk in red, white and blue. The larger and smaller Peed men took turns tackling each other on the gymnasium's bleachers, until Logun stopped to practice his counting.

"One, two, three, four," he said, pointing at his family members, including his mother, Sarah R. Peed, and baby brother, Riley. After 12 months apart, Logun counted four again.

Asked how it felt to be home, Spc. Peed had only one word: "Great."