More troops return home

For the second time in as many days, Gov. Jim Gibbons welcomed home Nevada National Guard troops Thursday, bringing to 880 the number of soldiers who have been reunited with their families from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This time it was the return of 150 drivers, gunners, mechanics and support personnel from the 1864th Transportation Company during the second deployment in five years for the unit to deliver cargo and supplies throughout Iraq.

The reception at the Clark County Armory in some ways mirrored the return of most of the 730 soldiers from Nevada's 221st Cavalry Wildhorse squadron, whom Gibbons addressed Wednesday at Mandalay Bay.

Besides the scene of families rushing to meet their loved ones, the most common thread, Gibbons said, is the overwhelming support and respect returning troops have compared to the days nearly 40 years ago when he was a fighter pilot coming home from the Vietnam War.

"There was no homecoming," said Gibbons, who served in the Air Force from 1967 to 1971. "The difference was we were told not to wear our uniforms when we got off the plane because we would get spit on or sworn at or cussed at by a lot of individuals who never understood what it was like ... nor did they ever want to be responsible for the freedom they were taking advantage of.

"That's a completely different story today. The men and women who come home from battle today are loved by the community, loved by this nation for what they've done because every one of them has contributed to the freedoms we now enjoy."

Another change is the number of women serving in the military.

"A lot of people don't expect females being mechanics and drivers and gunners and such," said Pfc. Cristina Borlongan of Las Vegas.

One of the two dozen women among the returning soldiers, she said the yearlong deployment -- her first -- was a lot different than what she had expected.

"You build really strong relationships and you get really close," she said about the other women in the unit. "When you're away from your family and friends, a lot of them were there for each other."

What impressed Borlongan, whose job was to escort convoys as a gunner and driver, was the acceptance of U.S. troops by Iraqi children.

"You see a lot of children and they're out there barefoot and they just want water, Gatorade, whatever you can throw them out of the truck," she said. "My perception is they're people, too, and we're there for their freedom."

For machine gunner Spc. Sean Canfield, it was his second tour of Iraq and Kuwait.

"It was a lot more organized this time," he said. "It was less violent ."

Gibbons, who also served in Nevada's Air National Guard during the Persian Gulf War, said citizen-soldiers who experience multiple deployments in the span of a few years tells him that "we are not only stretching them thin but we have to make sure that we keep equipment in the shape and quality needed to keep training alive."

"We have a lot of volunteers who have given up their daily lives, their work, time with their family, the picnic on the Fourth of July, to go fight a war to make sure everyone is free," he said. "That says a lot about the community (and) the state but most importantly the individuals of the 1864th."

Contact reporter Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308.