St. Charles Marine gets warm welcome home
Laurie Milbourn said prayers and hope are what sustained her and her husband, Bill, during their son Nicholas' recent 7-month deployment in northern Iraq.
On Saturday, the St. Charles couple celebrated his Nov. 3 homecoming with more than 300 friends and community members. The Marine corporal is a 2003 graduate of St. Charles North High School.
(Dave Shields/For Sun-Times Media)
From the Beehive tavern in downtown St. Charles, the crowd gathered to surprise and escort the soldier to an open house reception at his parents' home. Warriors' Watch Riders, a volunteer organization that provides motorcycle and vehicular escrorts to members of the military as a welcome home celebration, led the way.
"My parents were both extremely supportive of my service, and of America and the military," Nicholas Milbourne said. "It's good to be home; my leave time is really my vacation, and I'm able to relax and enjoy everything."
While in Iraq, he and his fellow soldiers slept outside next to their vehicles and their safety depended on those selected to watch over them as they slept on the ground.
"We all live and work in pretty close proximity, and you get to know your brothers in arms pretty well," he said. Also on Saturday, Milbourn had lunch with one of those comrades, Sgt. Gregory Allen Russell, of Gilberts. Russell received a Purple Heart medal for his service in Iraq.
Laurie Milbourn said Nicholas, 24, first mentioned joining the military when he graduated from high school. He then studied at Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wisconsin, and joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2006. Now, he holds a "352" designation, for Infantry Anti-Tank Guided Missile Man, from the National Ground Intelligence Center, material and forensic-related biometric collection.
St. Charles Mayor Don DeWitte, who attended the celebration with his wife, Diane, praised Milbourn for his service.
"Like many young men who have answered the call to serve their country, Nick Milbourn has served his country with honor and distinction," said DeWitte. "St. Charles is proud to welcome home one of our own. We are grateful for his return and will continue to support those who serve."
Laurie Milbourn said her son received two commendation awards. "He was in a third light armored recognizance mission," she said. "He operated in the communications field, and managed 33 sets of cryptographic items that allowed his platoon to communicate at 100%25 readiness, which contributed significantly to mission accomplishment."
Sharon Oie, of St. Charles, said she admires the Milbourn family's courage and that, although she has not been acquainted with Nicholas Milbourne, she feels a closeness to him.
"I feel l know him, through all the experiences Laurie has shared with us and with all the pictures Nicholas sent from Iraq," Oie said. "As a mother, I can only imagine what Laurie was going through, and she is a remarkably strong woman."
His adjustment to civilian life during his three-week leave has been smooth, Laurie Milbourn said. "He's feeling good; he's happy to be back in America and said it's the best place in the world to be."
