Jul 2, 2008 9:01 pm US/Eastern
Happy Homecoming For Soldiers Returning From Iraq
READING (WBZ) ―
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Robert Ventullo of Salem, N.H., hugs his wife, Gina, and daughter upon his return home after being deployed for a year in Iraq.
WBZ
There was a happy homecoming for nearly 200 soldiers back from Iraq.
Hundreds of family and friends, most decked out in red, white and blue, greeted the return of the 972nd Military Police Company of the Massachusetts National Guard.
Gina Ventullo of Salem, N.H., was awaiting the return of her husband, Robert. She's been a single mother to their four children for the past year.
"It's been crazy", she said, "hectic, with three under 2."
Pointing to 15-month-old Vanessa, Ventullo said, "She was 4 months old when my husband left, and look at her now, she's walking. He missed her first steps."
Sherice Lowry-Perez of Springfield brought her 5-month-old son Benjamin to see his dad come home. Benjamin Perez Sr. was home for his son's birth, but hadn't seen him since.
"He's gotten real big," Lowry-Perez said. "He's going to be surprised."
The families had to wait 90 minutes longer than expected for their reunions. The buses carrying the soldiers were stuck in traffic from an accident on the Massachusetts Turnpike.
The buses were escorted by more than a dozen police cruisers with sirens blaring. After a very brief ceremony, the soldiers were able to reunite with their families.
"It's pretty awesome," Robert Ventullo said as he gathered his wife and children in a big hug. "It's time to get to know them again."
Gina Ventullo believes her husband's absence was tougher on him than on her.
"These years are just so -- growing years for all the kids, and he missed a lot," she said. "He sacrificed a lot."
During their year's deployment, the 972nd trained Iraqi police.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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