Ride Report by Lutz
This report is a little overdue, partially because of the speed with which it all came down, and the other things that followed on it’s heals. But this one is important (not that they all arent) because Sinad is a special lady.
Sgt. Sinead Kelly is with the 10th Mountain Divison. She is in the middle of her second tour in Afghanistan, and is home now for a couple of weeks of R&R with her family and her young son. He is only 3, so his mom has been deployed for most of his young life.
It was s surprise for him, mom coming home. He may or may not have wondered why all these colorfully dressed grownups on motorcycles were taking him to the airport, but when he saw his mom come through the doors he didn’t care about anything but clinging to her.
As with most R&R missions, this was fluid. They seem to put them on whatever flight is available. She called her parents first from Kiwait, then from Germany, then from Atlanta, and in the end we were given about 1 hours notice of her arriveal. Despite only one hour notice on a weekday, 8 of us managed to race down t the airport to give her the hero’s welcome she deserved.
Then, our two most dedicated Highway Patrol police escorted us the entire way from the airport to Glenside (they must have forgotten where the Philly border was.) They were joined along the way by Cheltenham Police, Abington Police, and the Weldon Fire company – all a very fitting welcome for a true hometown heroin.
Welcome home Sinead. We look forward with eager anticipation to welcoming you home for good!
(Sinead joined us and Spc. Trotto for the 4th of July parade two days later. See post below.)
Photos by Elisha Kelly, Sister.
3 users commented in " SEPA: Welcome Home Sgt. Sinead Kelly, Glenside "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackI just want to thank you all so much. My family thanks you as well. I have never seen anything like this but it was one of the most incredible things i have ever experienced. I will never forget this. I have never realized how much people really appreciate the soldiers overseas but now I see how much people think about us and care while we are there and it is an amazing feeling and will definitely help me get through the rest of my tour. Once again thank you from the bottom of my heart.
There is nobody more deserving of this than SGT Kelly. I served with her in Afghanistan during her first tour and I wouldn’t have been able to make it through without her. I know that it hasn’t been easy for her to be a single mother while in the ARMY and constantly deployed but she does a great job! I would like to thank her and the warrior’s watch riders for all that you do, and wish SGT Kelly a swift and safe return home! Love you girl!
[…] personal connections between the WWR and biker community and this unit. For example, we did a happy Welcome Home escort for a young lady named Sgt. Sinead Kelly, from Glenside, and her younger brother (far left in the photo below) was now deploying with this […]
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