Marine Returns Home To Cheers, Hugs From Warriors' Watch Riders

It might have taken a couple of hours for Marine Lance Cpl. Logan Garrison to make the trek from O'Hare International Airport to Kildeer Thursday evening, but that didn't dampen the spirits of the men and women who awaited him in the Chili's parking lot across from the Deer Park Town Center.

About 20 members of the Warriors' Watch Riders group stood in two lines, holding American flags, ready to cheer on Garrison when he arrived. When his mom's car pulled into the Chili's parking lot, the Warriors' Watch group erupted in cheers. The group welcomed Garrison with hugs, as did police officers from Lake Zurich, Kildeer and Lake County.

Those same police officers, along with the Warriors' Watch members on their motorcycles and in trucks, then escorted Garrison from Kildeer to his home in Island Lake. The procession traveled down Route 12, then through Wauconda and onto Route 176 to Garrison's home. Along the way, police squad cars from Wauconda and Island Lake took over.

"I'm overwhelmed and shocked," said Garrison. The welcome home celebration and procession was a surprise. "I'm extremely grateful for all of this. It lets me know that people care."

Garrison, a Barrington High School graduate, spent six months in Afghanistan and six months in Japan. He will be home through the end of June before retiring to serve in Japan.

"It's a big relief to be home," said Garrison.

It's also a relief for his mom, Michelle.

"I'm just so glad he's home," she said.

Like her son, Michelle was overwhelmed by the Warriors' Watch group's efforts on Thursday.

"It's unbelievable," she said. "I can't even put into words how much I appreciate the guys [from Warriors' Watch] that give their time. I hope everyone serving has a moment like this."

The Warriors' Watch group members are happy to provide such moments. The group, which was formed in 2008, has done hundreds of rides to welcome soldiers home. The group held more than 250 rides in 2009 alone, said Raine Ray, a spokeswoman for the group.

"No matter the weather, we're honored to be able to hug these guys and show them we love them," said Ray. She said people show up to participate in the rides whether they are on motorcycles or not, "because it's not about us."

She said most often, the rides come as a surprise to the soldiers, as was the case with Garrison.

"The looks on their faces show us that we've shown them how we care about them," said Ray.

Carol Bradley of Johnsburg and Merril Tronsen of McHenry enjoy participating in the "welcome home" rides.

"It's so fabulous," said Tronsen, adding the Warriors' Watch group was largely formed by Vietnam veterans who wanted to make sure soldiers received a warm welcome upon returning home. "You're teary-eyed. You're smiling. You're crying."

Bradley said the group has participated in as many as five or six rides in a single day.

"It's really wonderful," she said. "Most of them don't know (about the ride) and then the smiles come and that's the best part."

Garrison was still smiling when the procession ended in his Island Lake driveway, where friends and family had gathered to greet him. Many of his neighbors stood outside of their homes to cheer him on.

"You may have noticed that you got treated like a rock star," Bob Abrams, coordinator of Thursday's ride, told Garrison. "To us, you are."

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