PERCEPTIONS By Steve Feitl Community welcomes a battalion’s arrival home from Iraq.
Journalists often find themselves at some rather cool events.
Some are obvious perks, such as being field level at championship sporting events. Other times, they are rewarding opportunities, like talking about the value of reading to local school children.
But there are other times when the job leads you to witness a really special moment.
Last Friday was one of those moments.
Lawrence Township welcomed home from Iraq a battalion of more than 170 National Guardsmen with a parade and ceremony at the Lawrenceville Armory. Seeing as it was taking place in the town we cover, the entire staff of The Lawrence Ledger was out not only to cover the event, but also show our support.
When I wrote a moment ago that it was a special moment, I was mistaken. It was actually a series of special moments.
I sat at the start of the parade route with our sports editor, Jim Green, and was part of the first group of spectators to thank the marching battalion with polite applause and a standing ovation.
Once they passed, we followed the procession down Eggerts Crossing Road and witnessed a bit of a change in the atmosphere. Students from Lawrence Intermediate School and Eldridge Park Elementary School had lined the road to cheer these local heroes and immediately it became obvious that the troops were feeding off the youngsters’ energy. As the soldiers ran out and high-fived the spectators, this had now become a party.
Inside the armory, this special afternoon continued. As I stood wedged between a neighbor and heating pipe in the top left corner of the room, I tried to take it all in. Straight ahead of me were families waiting to catch a glimpse of their loved ones. To my right, friends shouted inside jokes to the troops as they marched by in hopes of catching their attention. Everywhere you looked there were signs, ranging from the simple, "Welcome Home," to the personal, "My Dad, My Hero."
And in the center of it all were these 170 troops who gave the last year of their lives to serve our country. Some sat quietly; some basked in the adulation of the crowd. And then there were the handful of servicemen who held their newborn children for the first time.
While I knew not a single soldier in this group and if not for my profession, I most likely would not have been there, I felt incredibly touched to witness this.
Afterward, I spoke with both our U.S. senators and found they were very much in agreement. Sen. Jon S. Corzine was also quick to note that there was a range of emotions that afternoon, referencing the four members of the B Battery, 3rd Battalion, 112th Field Artillery who lost their lives in service.
"This is one of the most moving experiences," he said. "There’s a lot of happiness, but there’s also a lot of pain. It’s more demonstrable in settings such as this. But this is a great day to see these kids come home. I just wish we could have them all back."
When I asked Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg if events such as the one in Lawrence last week were among the best parts of being a state politician, a smile immediately came to his face.
"You’re darn right it is," he said. "To hear about how difficult things were over there and then see them back here, I call this, ‘Operation Uplift.’"
I couldn’t agree more. And much like the senator, one of the best parts of being a journalist is covering an event like what transpired in Lawrence last week.
Steve Feitl is the managing editor of The Lawrence Ledger, a Packet publication. He can be reached at [email protected].

