We have all been to a welcoming party of some kind in our life. That may be the welcoming of a new baby or the welcome home to a family member who has been out of town for a length of time.  

However, welcoming home a soldier from the war was never something I had the privilege of doing in this type of ritual. I’m glad I was able to do so with a dear friend, Sgt. Charles Russ, NCO Army National Guard, who returned home earlier this year following a deployment overseas.

After he arrived home he attended a welcome home event for a fellow soldier at Kit’s Corner when I went to see him in uniform, still enlisted doing what soldiers do, sticking by their pledge of what holds them together when they are away on deployment – a situation which Charles Russ knows well.  

Deployment is a word most people would like to not really have to think about and the harsh realities of all that it implies. I must say I thought I understood what we were doing and how we were accomplishing it in Afghanistan until I interviewed Russ.

It was then I realized what I had been missing: A great number of intricate details that define war, details that the average citizen really doesn’t understand, such as the ramifications of what separation from families do and being in a war zone where the soldier has a loaded weapon at all times in order to protect his self and his fellow soldier.  

Sgt. Russ told me with pride that the Army’s acronym is “LDRSHIP” – Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless service, Honor, Integrity, Personal Courage. According to Russ following these equals success.  

“A soldier’s life is simple,” he said. “He has a mission and he carries that out. We take care of our troops and we don’t get into the politics of it all.”  

Russ talks about how he had great leadership during his deployment which made all the difference.  
“They taught us to focus on the job you have and not to get caught up in the big picture of winning or losing.  However, you have to believe what you are doing is right.”  

He told me his commanding officers did such things as lead by example. “They always had a great attitude and kept things light hearted. They showed genuine concern and empathy for each and every soldier in their unit.” Above all they exemplified the army values of “LDRSHIP.”  

Russ reflected on his time and said thoughtfully, “There was a sense of wanting to check in with ‘your buddy’ and say, how are you? We talked about a multitude of things from what everyone was doing back home to how we felt our mission here was being accomplished … or not.”  

Particularly curious to me is the country of Afghanistan. Although the Taliban is portrayed in the media as the tyrants who subjugate women and brutalize all that do not accept Sharia law, they actually created some type of stability for the people in an otherwise chaotic country filled with conflicting views of government and the social order.  

American soldiers did not play politics in Afghanistan. They were not Democrats or Republicans. They had a mission and part of their mission was to make sure they always looked out for their buddy; the other was to get home safely and do what they had to do to complete the job.

Sgt. Russ did just that. He didn’t want anything special when he returned. He mentioned there were other men that did the same thing he had done and he wasn’t anything special. Giving him a welcome home party was a small thing to do for a brave man who deserved a sign of appreciation.

We should honor all brave soldiers the same way. He fought in a land he did not know for a cause he did not understand at first. He put his life on the line to create a better life for others far away.  

Some may say that doesn’t deserve anything special. We here in Lake County think it does. And so we salute you Sgt. Russ for your courage and your bravery and we give you our thanks to a man we think is very special.  

Welcome home!

Star Laurence lives in Hidden Valley Lake, Calif.