How were you treated after you got home from a combat deployment?

SGT (Join to see)
I participated in the initial invasion during OIF I and the return home was pretty ho hum. I would say about the same as coming back in from a long field problem.

The five tours after that were ridiculously different. Marching into some big redeployment building while music was blaring and people cheering. The general talking like he was some UFC ring announcer. I actually preferred the first one over the rest, at that point you just want to go home, get some chow, see the family, and get some much needed sleep.

I had a horrible reunion. Textbook sad story. This is personal, but I want to share.

I got off the plane and was really looking forward to seeing my then-significant other and newborn son. You know, that moment you turn the corner and get a little excited to see your family waiting in the wings? Maybe even with a cheesy banner or tee shirts? Yeah...no.

She was 45 minutes late. No remorse. No apologies. Annoyed. No hug. No kiss. Not even a smile. She just handed me the keys as she walked over to the passenger's side.

Come to find out she felt I had abondoned her during my deployment. Apparently, I should have tried to avoid it as opposed to be excited by it.

Typical "girl cheats on Soldier" story. However, instant karma was applied. That's another story in itself, but a page turner!

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I stood proudly in front of my formation, surveyed an array of ecstatic family members who couldn't wait to run out and hug their Soldiers.
And then I saw my wife.
I grinned from ear to ear, momentarily losing my military bearing.
But she looked down.
And I knew.
She was the only one there who wasn't happy we were there.

Some truly hard things have happened since, but right then and there I knew that it would never be the same.

My first deployment it was a good homecoming now the second was bad Stephen king could not have wrote it better. My kids were there to welcome me home and so was my wife and her boyfriend she told my I had no home no cars and no money and walk away with my kids. So yeah my second homecoming was a full blown nightmare.

Nam vet, so I'm not going there!

We took a 56-day boat ride home from OIF I in '03, so I do not recall any hoopla when we stepped off the LCU onto Camp Del Mar, was just glad to be home. I was OPP and when we were called up on Jan 4 '03 it took matter of hours to be aboard MPF and only couple days to be in Kuwait.

Return from OIF II in '04 was very different. Got off the bus after the ride from March AFB to be greeted by bands and motorcycle club and all sorts of well wishers on the grinder at Camp Del Mar. Among that crowd was not the (now and deservedly ex-wife) wife. She posted and I had to thumb/bum a ride to my empty house on the day I got back from my Fallujah deployment. I was bitter for a looonnnggg time. My wife (current and #3) often tells me she is surprised I am not more broken than I am. She is a former squid, can always count on the Navy for support. :)

I was greeted by my wife and son. Then wife thought it would be funny to drag me into walmart, I lasted 2 minutes inside and had to leave to keep from harming the idiots working and shopping there.

When I came home from Iraq, the first CONUS airport the plane touched down was at D/FW airport.

The Airport FD gave the plane a double-water-cannon salute, and there was a gauntlet of people cheering as we exited the jetway: Boy Scouts, VFW, random civilians...

It was pretty cool.

It was pleasant. When I had returned home from Desert Storm, even towards the end of August, 1991, people were still congratulating me and welcoming me home.

With the exception of heading out for my first tour in 2003, I was treated decent enough going out and coming back on all three tours. The only issue I had was a group of ridiculous protestors in my hometown. They were saying some fairly disgusting things about the military.