More South Carolina troops return

By Candace Jarrett
Morning News Reporter
Published: May 9, 2008

DARLINGTON — Soldiers from the S.C. Army National Guard’s 218th Brigade Combat Team arrived home to the Darlington Armory on Thursday afternoon to family, friends and supporters greeting them with a line of American flags.

“Welcome home,” Capt. David Rhodes said. “For the last 16 months, you’ve made sacrifices with your friends and family to do something that a lot of people won’t do.”

S.C. Army National Guard soldiers were deployed more than a year ago to Afghanistan. As of this week, more than 1,500 have returned, including a large batch of soldiers who retuned to the Darlington armory last week.

Pat Greenan said she was excited to see her big brother, Sgt. 1st Class Ed Schelley, come home, but said it never gets easy.

“It’s hard regardless,” she said. “You really can’t ever prepare yourself to see them leave.”

Greenan said her brother who works at the National Guard Armory in Florence, signed up for the military during the Vietnam War.

“I can remember when he went to Vietnam,” she said. “My sister and I went to see him off, and I can remember crying, but he asked me not to cry this time.”

Greenan said the only thing you can do is pray for the soldiers and be the support system they need.

Supported by her boyfriend Harold C. Perkins Jr., Greenan said, constant letters and e-mails made the time go by until her brother’s safe return home.

“I can sympathize with her because my father, Lt. Col. Harold C. Perkins Sr., was in Vietnam,” Perkins said. “No matter what happened or what you say, there is still that emptiness in your heart because you don’t know what is going to happen.”

The soldiers arrived Thursday in Darlington following post-mobilization processing at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

S.C. National Guard spokesman Col. Pete Brooks said post mobilization consists of physicals, processing a lot of paperwork, cleaning up and returning equipment.

More than 20 volunteers helped to get services together at the armory, including Mary Snowden.

“It’s just the right thing to do to come out and salute these soldiers,” she said. “My grandson, Eric Snowden, came in two weeks ago. We are really blessed that they go over there and they return.”

An invocation, a welcome and a benediction later, the soldiers were released and sent home.

“I feel real good right now,” Schelley said. “I’m going to go home and relax a little bit, then catch up on some things around the house.”