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HILLSBOROUGH: Cub Scouts help put soldiers at ease

By Audrey Levine, Staff Writer
   Cub Scout Andrew Gross, 8, may not know what it is like to be in combat, but now he can proudly show off his own Combat Action Badge, given to him by a soldier at Fort Dix on Feb. 15.
   ”(The soldier) got the badge when he was in combat,” said Andrew, of White Meadow Road, who said the badge is black with both a sword and a grenade on it. “He gave it to me to hold, then said I could have it.”
   Members of Cub Scout Pack 389 had the opportunity to see soldiers on Freedom Flight – those returning from Iraq or Afghanistan – when they traveled to Fort Dix to serve as part of the welcoming home committee.
   ”There are 150 soldiers per flight,” said Tom Columbia, community service coordinator for the pack. “Fort Dix is their first stop in the United States when they are coming back.”
   In total, 27 Scouts – ages 7 to 11, in addition to several 12-year-old Boy Scouts – and their parents traveled to Fort Dix to stand with members of the Vietnam Veterans of America and the United Service Organizations to greet the soldiers, some of whom, Mr. Columbia said, had not been in America for 18 to 20 months.
   ”They fly to Ireland and Spain to refuel, then on to the United States,” he said. “Two guys had been traveling for 78 hours straight.”
   For Andrew, it was exciting to be able to welcome the troops and watch them arrive home for the first time.
   ”It was fun helping them getting used to being home again,” he said.
   The trip, which was the second the pack has taken after going down for the first time right before Christmas, was part of a greater effort in community service, Mr. Columbia said. He said they had been looking to do more for soldiers and veterans.
   Dominic DiNardi, 8, said he was just happy to see them all come home to the United States, where they could return to their families and “finally eat some good food.”
   ”I was glad they were safe and made it through the war,” said Dominic, of Sweeney Court. “One guy told us he was attacked by the enemy. He got shot at and survived.”
   It was even exciting, Mr. Columbia said, to learn that many of the soldiers coming home were not from the local area.
   ”It was very interesting to hear where they lived,” said 8-year-old Connor Welch, of Hillsborough. “One lived in Canada.”
   Mr. Columbia said that, when the soldiers arrived at Fort Dix, everyone was waiting to greet them with signs thanking them for their time in the service.
   ”There was one woman who ran over to the kids and said she wanted to kiss and hug every one of them,” he said, noting about 15 percent of the soldiers deployed are female. “It made them all run.”
   ”She said, ‘I need a hug,’ and ran over and started hugging,” Andrew said of the same woman.
   After the greeting, the Scouts spent time talking to the soldiers about their experiences.
   ”They talked about their badges and how they were trained,” Connor said.
   In addition to talking to the soldiers, Andrew said one man showed him actual pictures taken on his camera while he was in Iraq.
   ”There was a picture of a battlefield,” he said. “And there were soldiers marching in twos and threes.”
   Aside from pictures and badges, Dominic, Andrew and Connor said they were given Iraqi money that they were told was worth much more overseas than in America.
   ”It was like a regular dollar bill,” Dominic said. “But $250 for Iraq is, like, $1 here.”
   According to Mr. Columbia, these Freedom Flights come in every Sunday, and the Scouts are hoping to go back again, possibly once every 60 days or so.
   ”It would be nice if we could organize that,” he said. “There is more impact on the soldiers to see all the kids at once.”
   In preparing to make the trip, Mr. Columbia said, the Scouts discussed what they could talk about with the soldiers and, although the kids were excited, the hardest part was getting them all to wake up at around 3 a.m. to drive down to Fort Dix.
   Still, Mr. Columbia said, the biggest impact was on the soldiers themselves, who did not know people would be waiting for them when they arrived at Fort Dix.
   ”The soldiers clapped for the Scouts,” he said.
   Mr. Columbia said it was also a treat to be recognized Feb. 10 by the Township Committee for all their volunteer efforts and for taking that first trip to Fort Dix in December.
   ”It was good to be recognized,” he said. “This might be a motivator to have more parents involved.”
   For Andrew, Dominic and Connor, traveling to Fort Dix was something they would gladly do again.
   ”It was really nice to see the soldiers,” Dominic said. “It was really great to see them smile.”