I was just notified that the 414th will be coming in on Friday afternoon. We will have a more firm time as the day goes by...but for sure on Friday afternoon. The various soldiers throughout the Midwest will be flown to the airport closest to home, therefore, Joplin Airport will have approximately 35-40 coming in.

I HOPE THAT YOU GUYS CAN RALLY THE PEOPLE TO LINE THE STREET TO THE AIRPORT AND WELCOME THEM HOME!

Being that its a Friday afternoon, Webb City kids...I better see all of you there!!!!

More soon...

Ok, change of plans due to the lack of room on flights into Joplin. The soldiers will now fly into a four-state airport and will travel via bus to Joplin. They will arrive at the VFW Post 534, located on North Main (Across from Home Pro) on Friday at approximately 3:00 p.m. (or 1500 for you military folk). After they have exited the bus and had the opportunity to greet their families, the public will be invited inside for a short ceremony in which the Command will address the families and the troops. Its my understanding that the Patriot Guard will escort them into the VFW and will provide a barrier of sorts so that the families can have access to the bus first and foremost and keep the public and media at bay for a moment of privacy with their soldier. Hopefully we will have this organized so that the public will know which way to go and the families will know which way to go…but with the Army its hard to plan anything, as you have probably realized from reading my column.

For those of you who do not wish to go inside the VFW for the ceremony, I would suggest that you park on North Main in order to hold your flags and signs and wave at the soldier. That way, you will not get stuck in the VFW lot.

For those family members who read my blog, per the instruction of Commander Nic Birch…do NOT attempt to pick up your soldier at the airport, for they will not be allowed to leave with you and you will only delay the return of the rest of the soldiers and I cannot imagine that would make a nice bus ride for your troop. So in Stephanie Geno terms…don’t jump the gun people…wait at the VFW like the rest of us.

Trying to do my job today and help organize this thing has officially driven me insane. I apologize to my coworkers who probably want to slap me upside the head.

Lastly, please keep in mind that the troops have been gone for 14 months. It will be nearly impossible for them to speak to each of you or be able to thank you for showing your support. They will likely want to hop off the bus and into their cars and head home. Please do not take that personal and be assured that your attendance is noticed and appreciated!

Further, my husband is somewhat quiet if he does not know you so for those of you who feel like they are now my family because of my blog and want to meet him or talk to him that day…don’t be hurt if he isn’t chatty because he’s just not that type of personality. I’m the talkative one. In fact, he says he’s going straight home and not attending any speeches so we may not even be there, haha. Just kidding Nic.

I have also been informed by Ms. Addison that she will get his first hug this time, so Josh will be the one with the little blonde clinging to his leg. The bigger blonde on the other side…that will be ME.

See you all there and thanks again for your support of the 414th!

The itinerary for the 414th Military Police Company's return to Joplin tomorrow, Friday, November 10 has been confirmed. The troops will return to Joplin via bus from the Tulsa airport and arrive in Joplin at approximately 5:00-5:30 p.m. at the United States Army Reserve Center at 1001 Murphy Boulevard in Joplin (located beside Ozark Christian College on North Main). The Patriot Guard, the motorcyle group, known for protecting troops families from protestors at military funeral services and events, will escort the bus into Joplin. The bus will travel down Main Street and turn right on Murphy Boulevard. The bus will enter the reserve center through the fenced area, where the soldiers where greet their families. The public is encouraged to line the street of Murphy Boulevard and stand on the grass area of the reserve center to wave their flags and signs at the troops. After the troops have exited the bus, they will accompany their families to the front of the center, where they will be addressed by various military representatives and can greet the public.

Thank you for your support!!!!

Well, this is THE day. The day he comes home where he belongs. Its 1:42 AM and I cannot sleep. I wonder if he’s awake too. I wonder if he’s thinking the same things as I am. I’m scared to death. I’m nervous because I’m anxious to see him but I’m also scared of the unknowing of how much both of us have probably changed. We have both learned to live apart and having to be under each other’s feet again will be an adjustment. I hope I can give him the space he needs to get acclimated. I feel sorry for him. His home has been somewhere else for over a year. For 14 months, this place he has paid the mortgage for, has not been his home. We have not been his family. His family has been his Army buddies. Now, he’s expected to jet back into town and become what he was before he left. It’s all very confusing and it’s uncomfortable in some ways. He’s the greatest friend I’ve ever had, yet I feel like he’s a stranger coming home. I love him so much and hope I can find the right words to comfort him and hope that I haven’t changed in ways he does not like. I’ve always been pretty independent; however, I feel over the course of the last year, I’ve become even more so. I’ve learned to lean on myself and depend on only me for my survival at times. So has he. I thank God so much that he is alive and well and is coming home to us. This hard deployment is almost over. Wow. It seemed to take so long, yet now seems like it happened in a flash. I cannot wait to see his face. That cleft in his chin…to see his hands and hold them…to hear his voice and see my kids smile at the mere sight of him. This day I have been waiting for and praying for is here.

I appreciate you all so much for your support during these long, hard months. Just remember that even though this story for our family may be ending, there are thousands of other families going through this same difficult task in order to ensure that you and your family are free. Don’t forget them. Right now I’m watching a story on the military hospital in Iraq and there are all these troops with horrendous wounds. Its so sad and I can’t help but think, they are someone’s Josh. I am so thankful he is safe but must remember that there are so many who weren’t so lucky. So many families will not experience the jubilance that our families with the 414th will feel today. I’m so lucky he is safe. I cannot get the Field and Johnson families off my mind. This should be their homecoming too, yet that day will never come for them. We must never forget those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. I hope they know that they are weighing heavy on our hearts today.

I should get some sleep….my last night in my bed alone. It’s surreal. This time tomorrow, I will have duffle bags lying around my home. I will have boxers lying on the bathroom floor after he has showered. I will hear the TV early in the morning. I will hear a recliner open in the living room. I will hear a Durango start up…and a motorcycle too. I will hear the shower in the morning and that noise of water when he’s shaving. His shoes will finally be worn that have been lying by our nightstand for months. He’s coming home. Thank you God, he’s coming home. Now I’m bawling like a baby. He’d think this article was ridiculous, that I’m being way too cheesy. That’s fine with me….cheesy I’ll be…cause my soldier is finally coming home!

Hope I see a lot of you at 5:00 p.m. at the reserve center. Bring your signs, flags and umbrellas.

WELCOME HOME 414TH...and 203rd soldiers...and Happy Veteran's Day to all of our troops, past and present. Thank you so much for your service!

He’s asleep in our bed. He’s home. He was sound asleep when the bus pulled in so his pillow marks were engraved in his face. He looked so young. His fan club of in-laws and High School girls were waiting by. His biggest fan club mauled him. That would be me, Addi and Austin. He was so tired it almost didn’t seem to hit him. He seemed to come to life more not from me, but from the sight of Jamathan and other soldiers he has served with. I know he was happy to see us, yet, again, his family seemed to be those who wore the uniform. It was ok with all of us though. My dad, who is very sick from cancer treatment, tried to bare the cold and waiting to see the bus in….he was unable to stay long enough to see Josh get off the bus. Josh called him and left him a message. I’m sure we will go see him soon. My mom and sister were there, as were Addi’s friends, who were holding signs that said “We love you Geno.” It was great. It was great seeing all of them. Lindsay and Ryan got the keys to their house across the street from us. As she and I were hanging signs today we couldn’t help but yell “Wooooo hooo!" across the yard at one another. She and Ryan looked so cute.

I had to laugh at Jesse and Kim Vogel’s daugher, who is probably about five. Kim hadn’t told Libby or their son, Kaden, who is three that their daddy was coming home. She was so afraid of disappointment that she hadn’t told them. I heard another kid say to Libby, “Your dad is coming home on that bus.” Libby replied, “No, not today.” I had to laugh. She’s learned at such a young age not to depend on rumors or the Army’s unconfirmed information. If it hasn’t happened already, really, in the Army, you should not depend on it. The Patriot Guard was amazing. They put up so many flags that it took my breath away. when I pulled in the unit, I was amazed. I will write my last story tomorrow. Tonight I really cannot think. I just want to crawl into our bed next to that man I love so dearly and stare at him all night long. He’s sleeping so peacefully. He is finally out of hell. He is home.

Welcome Home 414th. I love you all.

I debated on whether or not to write this last blog. My audio with Dave Woods pretty much sums up everything…but wanted to bid farewell for good one last time. It’s been a weekend of ups and downs. Yesterday we went furniture shopping with Ryan and Lindsay and it was a lot of fun. All four of us were leaping on mattresses and it was quite funny. I had forgotten how funny Ryan and Josh are together.

It seems like those who have returned are quite different. I’m sure they feel like fish out of water. Jamathan keeps telling me to be patient…that it’s hard to come back here and automatically fit back into life. I’m trying to give Josh a lot of space. We seem like strangers in some ways, yet the best of friends still in other ways. The Army takes a soldier out of his home in the blink of an eye, keeps them for a long, long time and then throws them back, thinking they can just readjust on their own. They do…it just takes time. They are never exactly the same. How could they be? I’ve heard some stories by listening to him talk to Jamathan. I feared so many times for their safety….I had no idea how close they have all come to losing their lives. Josh commented to my mom on the way out of the door Friday night that “Its good to be home, I really thought I was coming home in a closed casket the last few weeks.” That sentence keeps going through my head. Thank God he’s here. Thank God.

I’ve been trying to get his laundry caught up and all his stuff put away. Today he sat around and lounged in his pajama bottoms and sweatshirt. I went into the office for a bit.
I’m trying so hard to leave him alone….but I really want to be right next to him all the time.

I’m not sure how to close this out, or how to give you a grand finale. I guess I just wanted to say its been a lot of fun to do this blog…I really appreciate all the support I’ve received from it and its been fun to embarrass my children and create some havoc in their lives with this tool….I’ve grown accustomed to writing my feelings now and posting them public…I’ll have to keep a journal now or something. I truly wish you all the best and am glad that some of you found some comfort in reading my ramblings.

Please continue to pray for our troops…until they are all home.

Ta ta for now...

Steph Geno

At 3:47 my mother called, in a voice that I could not recognize saying "Get here, get Josh here...he's dying on me." I had to ask who it was....didn't recognize my own mother's voice. Josh and I got up, got the kids, rushed to the hospital in Carthage...walked in to find that my stepfather, the man whom I lived with all my life, raised me and loved me as his own, had died of a massive heart attack. He had never been sick. He jogged, he worked in the yard, he was still working full time....and there he laid...gone. I feel like I'm in a nightmare. My brothers and sister are all grief stricken. Not sure what to do. I feel like this is a dream and I will wake up and it will be over. I had to tell you all, my blog readers...I had to let you know. I want to scream, run up the street...wondering how my husband just got home and now I've lost my stepdad. I hate the word stepdad...he was never stepfather...he was a dad. I was fortunate enough to have two...my real dad would tell you that Dick Mansfield is the one who raised us...he would tell you how grateful he was that he entered my mom's life...we lacked for nothing..nothing mentally, nothing material...nothing. He gave it all to us and taught us to be independent people. We have lost the greatest member of our family. Thank God my husband is with me. This is the worst day of my life. Pray for my mom...she has no idea what is about to hit her. Pray for my kids...pray for my brother's...pray for my family...this is a loss that I cannot explain. My heart is broken. I already miss him.