Parish Marines back from Iraq
Last year, two St. Charles Parish Marines bid farewell to their loved ones and boarded a plane for Camp LeJeune, N.C. before getting sent overseas for a tour of duty in Iraq.
Cpl. Chris Baird, a St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s deputy, and Sgt. Joey Troxler arrived safely in Belle Chasse on Sunday, April 27, a month before memorial day.
They were both members of the 3rd Battalion 23rd Marine Reserves Troop.
Chris has missed out on a lot since he’s been away, including the birth of his newborn son, the Christmas holiday and his favorite Louisiana meal — red beans and rice.
“Chris’s son, Corbin, was born on March 5,” Chantel Morehouse, Chris’ fiance, said. “He got to see his baby boy for the first time on Sunday.”
Engulfed by family members the second he arrived, Chris reached out for his son immediately after his plane landed in Belle Chasse.
“He’s the most important person in my life,” he said, staring teary-eyed at his newborn son. “I’m home now and I’m glad to see him, and I’d love to eat a bowl of red beans and rice right now,” he joked.
George and Kendra Baird, Chris’s mom and dad, not only had their son’s favorite meal on stand-by, but also kept a yellow ribbon tied to a light post in front of Chris’ home as a reminder that he was serving his country overseas. It also served as a symbol of the family’s faith for their son’s safe return home.
Kendra left the family’s Christmas tree up too.
“The yellow ribbon is faded now,” she said. “It hasn’t been touched since the day Chris left. I had to leave the tree up for him. I just couldn’t take it down until he made it back home.”
The Bairds say that they’re both grateful that God sent Chris back to them with his full health and strength.
“My wife and I were both anxious,”
George, Chris’ father, said. “Neither one of us hardly slept these past few days just waiting for Chris to come home. The closer the time got, the more excited we both were.”
Chris says that the military unit has informed him that he may not have to deploy for a while.
“We were told that it will be at least five years before we have to deploy again,” he said. “But there’s no way to say that for sure.”
Chris says his time as a parish deputy helped him cope.
“I believe that because I worked as a deputy, I wasn’t as anxious or concerned about certain things because I already had some prior training,” he said. “And some things are not as bad as the media makes them out to be.”
In Iraq, Chris worked as a communications technician.
Troxler, a Luling resident, was also greeted by many in his family, among them were his uncle and aunt from Waggaman.
“It’s history in the making for me,” Ned Lauve, Joey’s uncle, said. “I served with the 82nd Airborne in Germany during World War II.”
Lauve said that seeing his nephew return safely meant a lot to him and made him reflect about his own time on the battlefield decades earlier.
Firefighting crews from Kenner, Belle Chasse, Westwego, Harvey and Gretna were also on hand to welcome all of the troops home.
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