By David Spunt Reporter
News 3 On Your Side
Fort Benning is just days away from greeting hundreds of soldiers in the advance party of the 3rd Brigade. News 3 On Your Side
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Stumble It!The post has confirmed to News 3 they could return from Iraq as early as the end of the week.
When they come back, it’s difficult for many soldiers to make that transition back into society.
News 3 caught up with a soldier who came back from 15 months in Iraq in January.
It's a typical day at the Wilburn house. Jason, his wife Tonya and their two children Rachel and Ryan are enjoying each other's company.
It wasn't so long ago, that Jason was halfway around the world fighting the War on Terror with the 92nd Military Police Battalion.
“About a week or so before coming back, my mindset was already back here, granted I was still in Iraq, but I was thinking of home, Wilburn said.
Since coming home, Wilburn has had the unique task of integrating back into the life he left when he deployed to Iraq. Thousands of soldiers across the country go through the same thing, every time they come home.
“It was just interesting trying to get used to everything the way they are in the household. Different rules,” he said.
It was his wife, Tonya, who held down Fort Wilburn for 15 months while her husband was away.
“I was glad to give up some of the chores, let him do it. With the kids, it used to be mommy, mommy mommy, but now it's daddy, and I was like, oh cool,” she said.
After spending so much time in a war zone, it's not uncommon for soldiers to overreact to everyday sounds when they come home. It could be a siren, or a car horn that could put them on edge
“I think the siren. The emergency siren went off and I thought ok what's going on because they had sirens go off on base there when mortar rounds come in so I think that took me by surprise the first time,” he said.
The bottom line, making the transition back into society is definitely a process. Both Jason and Tonya have advice for families ready to welcome home their soldier.
“Just watch the knit-picking. They will have changed a bit being over there, so it’s expected when they come back things will change,” she said.
“Be patient, don't come into the house and say I’m going to be the one in charge. Things have changed. Take it slow,” he said.
To find out how you can help soldiers who just returned from a war zone, or are still deployed, you can click here.
