Brandon Twp.- The phrase ‘There’s no place like home for the holidays? has never had more meaning for Dylan Dean and Billy Westfall than it does this holiday season.
The pair recently finished a year they’d just as soon forget.
Dean and Westfall spent Thanksgiving 2005 in Iraq after being deployed last fall with the U.S. Army? Dean with Charlie Company, 2-5 Field Artillery, and Westfall with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 321st Artillery Airborne. This year, they will spend it with their families, after arriving safely in the United States late last month.
‘We have a lot to be thankful for,? says Westfall, who arrived back in the U.S. Oct. 27, and called his homecoming, ‘unbelievable.?
Dean agrees.
‘This is the greatest country in the world,? says Dean, who arrived in the U.S. Oct. 21. ‘As soon as I hit Maine, I kissed the ground.?
The 2003 Brandon High School graduates, friends since ninth grade, sit now, relaxed and grinning, in Brenda Westfall’s kitchen, on a Friday afternoon. Only a few hours earlier Dean arrived home on a plane, and three days earlier, Westfall drove from North Carolina to Toledo, then drove the rest of the way home with mom, Brenda. She and Karla Dean, mother of Dylan, sit at the table with their sons, listening to them talk. On a counter are two bakery-decorated cakes for a planned welcome home party the next day.
Dean and Westfall joined the Army together in April 2004. Dean remained at Fort Sill, Oklahoma after basic training, while Westfall was stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Last November, they were sent to Iraq? Westfall to Tikrit, Dean to Baghdad.
Asked how he felt prior to leaving for Iraq, Dean responds, ‘I didn’t feel I was coming back.?
Westfall said he was nervous.
They both had plenty of reason to be.
Westfall recalls the time a 127-millimeter rocket went right through the laundry room of their barracks, bouncing off a washing machine and parts tearing through brick.
Dean notes mortars are a really regular occurrence.
‘We jumped in trucks, in bunkers, just straight out jumped,? he says, showing a photo of himself that a comrade snapped while they were taking refuge under a table while being shelled. In the picture, Dean is smiling.
‘If you don’t laugh at the situation, you’ll lose your mind,? he said.
Dean and Westfall both drove Humvees in convoys, delivering supplies to coalition forces. Westfall explains on a typical day of driving, he would load body armor, weapons, programmed radios and coolers into the vehicles in the morning. He and his fellow soldiers would be briefed on the route, call signs, and any significant acts before testing the weapons and leaving.
Dean recalls it similarly, saying they drink coffee, listen to iPods and feel an adrenaline rush beforehand, thinking this might be their last time.
Convoy trips typically take from 6-8 hours, but can be longer, sometimes 18 hours or more, when things go wrong.
Westfall remembers once when his convoy came upon another that had happened upon roadside bombs and were waiting for the explosive ordinance disposal team to come and explode the bombs. While waiting, insurgents began shooting mortars, then grenades. Air support showed up, dropping bombs on the insurgents.
‘We rolled after that,? says Westfall.
Overall, both Westfall and Dean believe the Iraqis are great people.
‘You’ll get one bad one out of a thousand,? says Dean. ‘They pretty much love us… The majority are glad we’re there.?
Dean learned some Arabic while in Iraq, such as ‘wahabi? (bad guy); ‘ali baba? (thief); and ‘maku? (no more). He had to use the last word with Iraqi children, who frequently beg for candy or other treats.
‘They’re 4, and all they’ve seen their whole life is war and poverty,? says Dean of the kids. ‘You want to tell them, ‘Don’t be like that guy over there.??
Dean compares the three major factions in Iraq, the Shi’ites, Sunnis and Kurds to gangs in Detroit. He says they are starting to be divided, and believes Iraq should become three separate countries, but he tries to look at the plus side.
‘They’re rebuilding,? he notes. ‘We helped to rebuild a mosque and playgrounds. We helped out a lot. We’re there, we might as well finish it.?
Dean has become more political over the last year and says he is glad that the Democrats regained control of the U.S. House and Senate and is hopeful that with the resignation of U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the U.S. troops will be home sooner. Westfall, however, believes it may take 10 years for the U.S. to bring the troops down to the level of a hardship base. Both say they could be sent back to Iraq in April for another year, even though their service is scheduled to end July 21.
For now, they’re enjoying being at home. Westfall can’t wait for deviled eggs and cranberry sauce at the holiday table, while Dean is looking forward to green bean casserole and the Detroit Lions game.
‘I always know they’re gonna lose, they never let me down,? he says, smiling.
They say they have a lot to be thankful for, and America does, too.
‘Freedom isn’t free,? says Dean. ‘Be thankful for what you have.?
Westfall agrees.
‘Be thankful for the little things,? he says. ‘Phones, running water, your own bed, not having to wear sandals in the shower, regular toilets.?
One more thing they are grateful for is the support shown by the community, displayed in numerous ways, including a welcome home banner near M-15 and more welcome home messages on business signs around town, which brought tears to the eyes of both.
‘It’s insane, a great feeling,? says Dean, who is also grateful to about 500 students who sent him Christmas cards last year under the guidance of Brandon Middle School teacher Mrs. Bursett, and of which he read every one, getting glitter all over in the process. ‘I’m still trying to grasp the concept of being home.?