Trussville welcomes home service member from Afghanistan

TRUSSVILLE -- The late-night arrival, especially on a school night, could have dampened the welcoming.

It didn’t.

Children, many waving American flags, waited along the sidewalks after 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2. Some wore their pajamas and made noise with blowouts, those birthday party favors kids love and parents, well, don’t. One child even sang the ABC Song from a golf cart. Teenagers waved flags and flashlight-lit iPhones. Adults lit sparklers, waved flags from porches and stood in their driveways with their dogs. 

On the returning active-duty service member's street in Trussville, cars were backed into driveways with their flashers engaged. As the returning soldier made the curve onto the street, the sparklers were lit and the flags waved. Neighbors cheered and hollered, “Welcome home!” His car was bookended by two Trussville Police Department vehicles, an escort both deserved and inspiring, and the line of welcomers continued with a brigade of golf carts. At the neighborhood’s entrance, a Trussville firetruck dangled an American flag from its extended ladder. 

When the man exited his vehicle, he smiled and waved to neighbors. Kids presented cards and signs they had made at home and at school to him. His dog greeted him.

Thursday night was not about political pundits or the way United States service members were pulled out of Afghanistan. There were no opinions or debates. There was just gratitude and pure patriotism. It was a sight to behold, even if the sparklers and flashers didn’t quite light up the street enough for everyone to see the homecoming clearly. More than a visual, it was a feeling.

“My family wanted to support this soldier coming home as our small way to do something,” said one neighbor. “After seeing 13 men gone too soon in the line of duty, it just felt good to do something to honor one coming home, especially in our neighborhood. I grew up in a military town and this happened frequently, so I was excited to share this with my children who haven’t gotten to witness a homecoming.”

Various Trussville City Schools classes prepared cards and signs. Cheerleaders made a welcome home banner. The Cahaba Homestead Heritage Foundation, Inc. donated 97 flags to line the streets. Neighbors cleared out the flags from the local Home Depot, which gave a 10% discount, and they put them out all over the neighborhood in record time Wednesday afternoon, despite rain. 

Said one neighbor, “It was truly an honor to see the people who jumped in to support, neighbors putting their red, white and blue out, and everyone having excitement over honoring a hero returning.”