Soldier literally gets a Hometown welcome
BY MATTHEW BRUCE Correspondent January 25, 2012 10:42PM
Army Pfc. Rachael Waddell gets hugged by her sister, Becky Waddell, as she arrives at the Hometown-Murray VFW Post No. 9773 on Wednesday January 25, 2012 after serving seven months in Iraq. | Matt Marton~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: February 27, 2012 8:01AM
Army Pfc. Rachael Waddell had no way of knowing the nearly 20 police cars lined up Wednesday at Midway Airport were there on her account.
But the 23-year-old Hometown resident, making her first journey home since being deployed to Iraq seven months ago, would find out soon enough.
The squad cars from the Hometown, Bedford Park, Burbank and Chicago police departments escorted the Oak Lawn High School graduate all the way to Hometown-Murray VFW Post 9773 in Hometown, where a party celebrating her homecoming followed.
“It’s very overwhelming. I was not expecting this at all,” Waddell said with a smile after her arrival at the VFW. “Feels great. It’s been a long seven months.”
For her two-week leave, Waddell made the trek from Kuwait City, where she had been transferred several months ago from Iraq. The salute Wednesday was fitting timewise, too — Thursday marks her one-year enlistment anniversary.
“This is better than Christmas,” said Kathy Hesse, Waddell’s mother. “This is the best thing in the world. There’s nothing more exciting than seeing her in person right now.”
Hesse said she got the idea for Wednesday’s festivities from a friend and began planning the surprise for the youngest of her three daughters last week when she contacted VFW officials.
Area veterans were happy to respond. Hometown was created in 1954 to provide affordable housing for World War II veterans, and many of the vets on hand said the salutes were a way to show appreciation that past generations of returning soldiers didn’t receive.
“These kids go through trauma when they’re over there, and they never talk about it,” said post Cmdr. Joe Lipetzky, a veteran of the Persian Gulf war. “None of these guys that are here ever got a ‘Welcome home.’ So to pay it forward, we absolutely love it. My biggest thing was to see the smile on her face when she got out of that car.”
Waddell said she will be treated to a family party Saturday at her aunt’s home in Manhattan but said the thing she most looks forward to during her leave will be the extra rest.
“I have the worst sleeping schedule,” she said. “So it’ll be nice to not wake up at 5 in the morning.”
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