Col John Russell, U.S. Air Force (1975-2005)

Originally sent in an E-mail on September 24, 2003 at 10:23 AM to a friend.

Two months ago, I made a special trip to San Antonio with my First Sergeant to welcome home a team of my 307th RED HORSE troops coming back from Baghdad. They had been in southwestern Asia supporting the war effort for 5 months. Just as they were about to be rotated home, another mission was tasked. The Senior Officer of the 1st Expeditionary RED HORSE Group asked them if they would volunteer to extend. These guys, after spending 5 months in the sand, were asked if they would volunteer to go to Baghdad International Airport and repair all the runway and taxiway craters we had blown in our bombing campaign. These repairs were necessary so that medicine, food and other civilian aid could begin to be air lifted directly to Baghdad International Airport.

My troops volunteered for the mission, despite knowing that it would significantly delay their return home to their families. When they finally walked off their airplane at the San Antonio Airport, the crowd from all eight gates swarmed them cheering and clapping. My First Sergeant and I gave each of them a yellow rose. Our intent was for them to give them to their wives. The effect was that fellow Americans instantly recognized who these young troops were. All passengers from their and other arriving airplanes fell in behind the troops as we made our way to the baggage claim area. The clapping and cheering went on unabated as my troops walked with my First Sergeant and I all the way to baggage claim. I have never heard such noise in an airport.

When we arrived at baggage claim, their families and six TV stations and dozens of my squadron members were waiting. They picked up the yellow roses and their return to their families was broadcast nationwide. By this time, there were at least a thousand Americans cheering and clapping as my soldiers and their spouses embraced and hugged after many long months of being apart.

I turned around and saw that the huge crowd had not left. They were all there cheering and almost every one of them was crying with joy. 99.9% of them didn’t have a clue as to the names of my troops. I asked one such lady that had tears running down her cheeks who she was related to. Her response was “none of them”. I then asked her why she was crying. She told me that her father was a military officer. When he came home from deployment, she vividly remembered how happy she always was to see him come home safely. At that point, I lost it. Can you imagine a 6′ 4″ 250-pound Colonel crying his eyes out? It happened.

My military career began at the very end of the Vietnam War. Since then, I have lived, worked and played in 41 countries while doing the work of the U.S. Air Force. Never in the scores of homecomings that I have been a part of have I seen anything like what I saw that day. The scene has been repeated thousands of times across America as our troops return home. For me, it was one of the most profound moments in my life.

The terrorist’s goal of changing America worked in a way they did not anticipate. It brought us all together. My troops all coming home and the response of all the Americans at the airport certainly was my most proud moment to be an American soldier.

John P. Russell Jr., Col., USAF (Retired)
Commander, 307th RED HORSE Squadron

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