Hugs, tears as reservists return Sgt. E5 Nicklaus of Oconto greets his daughter Michaela upon arrival (Tina Gohr). Marines are told they made a difference as they reunite with families By Ray Barrington News-Chronicle They left in the predawn cold of a January Sunday, getting last hugs from family, friends and children. Tuesday, they returned to the smell of grilling bratwurst, yellow ribbons, cheers and the tightest hugs anyone may ever receive. The Marines were home. Unlike their departure five months ago, Tuesday's return was a picnic atmosphere, a chance to celebrate success in Iraq and a safe return for the Ashwaubenon-based reserve unit. And the returning members of Detachment, Bulk Fuel Co. B, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Force Service Group, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, now get their reward - the rest of the week off with their families. They had left California the night before and flown all night to Chicago. From there, they boarded buses for the trip home - possibly the longest bus ride in their lives. "We were counting off the signs, 80 miles, 60 miles ... and then when we turned onto 172 it seemed to take forever," said Jeff Wojciak of Green Bay. "We had a long time of waiting. This is just amazing." And those who were there to greet them had a long day of driving before the 9:30 a.m. arrival. Dorothy and Joe Drouin had driven down from Ironwood, Mich., leaving at 3:30 a.m. They carried a sign welcoming home "B's and P's." "B's our daughter; everybody calls her Beezer," Joe explained. Her fiancé is also in the unit; his name is Peasley and he was the "P's" on the sign. "We didn't get to hear a lot from them," Joe said. "The mail was real slow. She wrote a letter saying how after the war ended, the mail really started coming in." The family of Thomas Sheppard Jr. of Port Washington got the news late Monday night and hit the road early Tuesday. They were surprised as much by the month of arrival as the time. "We thought maybe it would be mid-July before they got back," said Christine Sheppard, the Marine's mom. They had heard from their son a couple of times while he was overseas, and once after he got back to Camp Pendleton, Calif. "He had to wait six hours to get on the phone," Tom Sr. said. Among those waiting was University of Wisconsin-Green Bay women's basketball coach Kevin Borseth, there to greet a sister-in-law's son, Wes Lawrence Jr. of Houghton, Mich. "We didn't get much of a chance to hear from him; it'll be good to sit and talk," Borseth said. In his own travels, Borseth said, he had seen plenty of soldiers have to leave home. "I remember one where he was leaving three children," Borseth said. "I couldn't even watch it." But Tuesday was happier, especially when an Ashwaubenon police and fire escort brought the three buses into the Navy and Marine Corps Reserve Center lot. Cheers went up as each Marine stepped out, and duffel bags were quickly abandoned for hugs, kisses and tears. There were a few short speeches, and Lt. Col. Mark Bannach, the unit's commander, thanked his men and their families. "Everybody was behind us - it made our jobs much easier," he said. He cited his unit's work in setting up fuel and water distribution to front-line troops. "This was a vital part of the operation," he said, noting his unit had handled more than seven million gallons of fuel as part of "the world's largest tactical fuel farm ever." "They did make a difference," he said. "As we drove through the cities, you could see it in the children's faces. They were happy to have us there." But not as happy as the children on the grounds Tuesday were to have their fathers and mothers home from war.