Emotional homecoming for local Marine

(4/01/07 - KTRK/LEAGUE CITY, TX) (KTRK) -- There was an emotional homecoming Sunday as a Marine returned home from war. Sergeant Jorge Valdez was deployed to Iraq four times. His family surprised him with a welcome home celebration.

It wasn't just a homecoming. For the first time in five and a half years, Sgt. Valdez was able to spend his birthday with his family. On Sunday, he turned 24, and while it was an emotional day for the League City man, his thoughts were with other families that weren't so fortunate.

It was a homecoming befitting the hero he had become -- a welcome back for a young man who had served his country and his family proud.

"Oh, I feel wonderful and I thank God because he kept him safe," said Antonia Gonzales, Sgt. Valdez's grandmother. "That was our prayer over here."

But for this proud Marine, it is a welcome back with bittersweet emotions.

"I think about the friends that will not be able to come back and we have to bury them," said Sgt. Valdez. "But we honor them."

Sgt. Valdez is a testament to what a true soldier is, enlisting in the Marines right out of Clear Creek high school. He served four tours of Iraq, including one after his commitment to the Marines had already ended.

His mother, however, is proud and always conscientious of the sacrifice.

"In the last 24 hours, tears of joy," said Hilda Valdez. "The last five and half years, it's been turmoil."

It was on one of those tours that Valdez would suffer a great loss. Former high school classmate and childhood friend, soldier Ray Hutchinson would be killed in duty. It was a death Sgt. Valdez still carries with him even today.

"He went to do his job like anyone else has and he paid the ultimate sacrifice," said Sgt. Valdez.

So while friends and family are grateful for the return of their loved one, Sgt. Valdez is very mindful, careful to honor those not fortunate enough to have a homecoming such as his.

"Just don't forget them," said Sgt. Valdez. "Don't let their sacrifice go unheard of. It was a big sacrifice and they made it. I'm really thankful to them. To me, they're the real heroes."

Sgt. Valdez will spend the next few days with his parents in Santa Fe, Texas. After that, he'll head back to Yuma, Arizona with his girlfriend. There, he plans to pursue a degree in engineering, hoping to get a job with the government.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)

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