By David Davis / Cleveland Daily Banner

Jessica Vines of Madisonville waited with spouses, other immediate family members and friends Friday afternoon at the U.S. Army Reserve Center in Chattanooga as the 591st Transportation Detachment returned from a 12-month deployment in Iraq.

“This is my first and hopefully my last deployment for awhile,” Jessica said. “It has been really long.”

Her husband, Spec. Joseph Vines, left for deployment about 12 months ago when their oldest son, Nathan, was 4 and their youngest, William, was only 6 months old.

“He’s kind of nervous. He wonders if the baby will want to see him or not,” she said.

Joseph and Jessica have been in constant contact via e-mail, but seeing her husband through a webcam is not like having him home.

Other than the air conditioning unit leaking on the carpet a couple of days ago, Jessica said the deployment went smoothly.

“The landlord is fixing it today so it won’t be a mess when he gets home,” she said.

Joseph and Jessica celebrated their second wedding anniversary in March.

“So we are still newlyweds,” she said. “It’s been really, really tough on us.”

Not all of the 23 soldiers who deployed returned to Chattanooga. Two soldiers were discharged early and two others were released in Indiana where the detachment was winding down after the year in Tallil, Iraq. One soldier was on administrative hold for a technicality, according to Unit Coordinator Patricia Canerdy.

Sgt. Matthew Fisher, of Dalton, Ga., was the one stuck in Indiana. His wife, Elizabeth, helped the other families prepare for the homecoming, but left for the Hoosier State immediately after the unit’s arrival in Chattanooga.

Matthew and Elizabeth have been married six years and they’ve been separated half the time by three deployments. This is their second tour in Iraq.

Elizabeth said the time apart has gotten easier in some respects because she knows what to expect and how to handle things on her own, “but the loneliness factor of deployment, that doesn’t get any easier.”

An official greeting is expected to be held in August.

Original story is here