By Mary Malloy
Just before 7 p.m., 300 troops with the 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment rolled into the 1st Marine Corps District Reserve Training Center in Garden City, greeted by cheering loved ones waving American flags, holding homemade banners and shouting "Thank you!" and "We love you!" as the buses passed. New York City and Nassau County fire trucks lined Stewart Avenue, welcoming the troops by blasting their horns as the buses pulled into the base.
Sgt. Craig Smith of East Rockaway and Cpl. Timothy Ledwith of Lynbrook were two of the men who came home, much to the relief of their friends and families.
"He's done now ... he gave six years as a reservist," Smith's mother, Clarice, said of her 24-year-old son, a New York City policeman, who was returning from his second tour of duty in Iraq. When he arrived at his Munson Place home last Friday, Clarice said, the East Rockaway Fire Department trucks were outside, blaring their horns. "The neighbors all came out ...it was really over the top."
This week, she said, Craig has resumed his life, going to the DMV and joining a gym. He will serve one more inactive year to complete his reserve requirements, his mother explained, and plans to return to his job in the city. "I am so relieved that he's back," she said. "There was a void in our family when he was gone."
Ledwith, a New York City firefighter and a son of Lynbrook Village Attorney Peter Ledwith and his wife, Susan - the sixth of their 10 children - finished his third tour of duty in Iraq. During his most recent deployment, he took part in counterinsurgency missions and trained Iraqi security forces. "He was a sniper," said his father. "We were worried."
Peter Ledwith added, "The whole family is filled with indescribable joy. He was at the Syrian border, incepting interlopers coming across ... but he's safe and sound now, at home. His attitude is wonderful ... he's the same guy."
Tim, who volunteered to go back to Iraq this last time, served the first two of his missions alongside his brother, Sean, who was discharged from the Marines last year. Sean got married in March of 2008, and he and his wife, Shannon, are expecting their first child in the fall and looking for a house in Malverne.
"We want to thank everyone for their support while Tim was away," said his sister, Laura Ryder. "We truly believe that their prayers brought him home safety to us."
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