The National Guard 639th QM Co. is scheduled to return home to Kalispell from their second tour in Iraq soon, and a group of volunteers is looking to make the homecoming as welcoming as possible for the troops.
On Saturday, Dec. 19, a group of volunteers will meet in Depot Park at 1 p.m. to hang yellow ribbons all over town, and they are asking for your help. Heidi Roedel, one of the event organizers, said she has ordered 18,000 feet of yellow ribbon to decorate trees and lamp posts. This is the 639th’s second deployment to Iraq; its first tour was from December 2003 to March 2005, and the city welcomed them back with a similar celebration.
This time, the 639th deployed in January 2009 and were thought to be returning in January 2010. But now it looks as though they may be back this month. The date is still unknown, but Roedel said she wants the town to be prepared to honor them when they come home. When they do find out the date and time of the return, Roedel said it will be a “last-minute thing” and the VFW will have just enough time to line Main Street with American flags. Local radio stations will broadcast the return information as well.
She also encouraged businesses to put signs in their windows and on their reader boards with messages such as “Welcome Home 639th QM Supply CO” and “Thank You 639th QM Supply CO.”
Roedel said the successful “paint the town yellow” return celebration helped the troops adjust in 2005.
It was very meaningful and was appreciated by the soldiers, their families, and the Vietnam vets who never received that kind of a “Welcome Home.” This memory has been a tremendous help and encouragement in the process of the adjustments after a soldier’s return. This is what the Army calls “Finding a New Normal.”
Donations for the purchase of yellow ribbons, banners and signs can be made online through the Scott Vallely Memorial Fund, soldiersmemorialfund.org – 501(c)(3) IRS code. On this Web site you will find a page for donations with a “donate button” just for this event. Please use this button if you would like to contribute.
It has been snowy and a bit chilly lately, but this event will happen on Saturday regardless of weather conditions.
“This event is not dependent on weather,” Roedel said. “If our soldiers can put up with temperatures of over 100 degrees, we can bundle up and tough it, too.”