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| Galesburg Soldier Welcomed Home |
A local soldier who has been deployed for over a year said he was surprised to see the support for just one soldier when he arrived home.
23-year old Specialist Jared Tapscott arrived home last night to cheering family and friends, who promptly gave the soldier a beer - something he says he hasn't had in a long time.
Tapscott was part of a number of troops from the Illinois Army National Guard's Troop B, 2nd Battalion, 106th Calvary out of Dixon, Illinois who also returned yesterday from Afghanistan.
He was a Community Service Officer and Emergency Police Officer in Galesburg, and was also a volunteer with the Auxiliary Police in Abingdon.
Tapscott tells WGIL lessons he learned in those experiences helped him in Afghanistan.
"Talking with people is one of the biggest things. Working in Law Enforcement, talking with people can save your life. It's the same way when you go overseas especially when your talking to people from a third world country. It's about how you talk to them - if you treat them with respect, you talk to them like their a person your going to get a lot more out of them."
He says he was separated from the soldiers he went over with, and spend much of his time with members of the Marines. He says their job was to train members of the Afghan National Army and National Police Forces.
Tapscott says for the most part, the Afghan people were very welcoming and would even sit down with soldiers and offer them tea.
He says he was able to keep in contact with friends and family back home through cell phones, e-mails, and social networking sites.
Members of the Patriot Guard Riders as well as Galesburg Police and Fire Departments and Abingdon Police were also part of the welcome home procession.
(Signs at restaurants along Henderson Street in Galesburg welcome home Specialist Jared Tapscott Wednesday night.)
(Specialist Jared Tapscott speaks with family and friends Wednesday night after returning home from nearly a year in Afghanistan.)
(Neighbors of Specialist Jared Tapscott greet and welcome him home Wednesday night in Galesburg.)
(The house where Specialist Jared Tapscott arrived home Wednesday night is decorated with signs)
(One of the signs at the home where Specialist Jared Tapscott arrived home to Galesburg Wednesday after serving a one year deployment with the Illinois Army National Guard.)
(WGIL News Story and Photos by Dominic Fortini.) |
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| 09 03 09 by Newsroom |
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