"Our welcome home was whoever came to pick us up at the airport"

Medics return from serving in Afghanistan
Eleven Navy corpsmen back in Akron

By Jim Carney
Beacon Journal staff writer

Published on Thursday, Apr 14, 2011

Eleven Navy corpsmen who were deployed to Afghanistan with an Akron-based Marine Reserve unit and other area Marine reservists finished their paperwork Wednesday, completing their overseas tour of duty.

The Navy reservists spent part of Wednesday at the Navy Operational Support Center on Dan Street in Akron, winding up their war time service a few weeks after Marines they served with came home.

While more than 100 Marine reservists attached to 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, 4th Division, Weapons Company arrived to publicized homecoming ceremonies in late March, the sailors arrived home with little fanfare.

''Our welcome home was whoever came to pick us up at the airport,'' said Hospital Corps
man 1st Class Mark Albert Sr., 40, of Jackson Township, who works for UPS as a driver in his civilian job.

Albert, a former Lakemore reserve police officer, said he and some other Weapons Company corpsmen, who work as medics, were attached to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, in southern Afghanistan. The unit suffered numerous combat casualties — Marines killed or wounded.
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Medics return from serving in Afghanistan