After reading Linda Pagan's plea ("Woman Seeks Help in Giving Troops a Belated Welcome," Sentinel, Sept. 24), I couldn't help but think back to my husband's return from the first Gulf War.

We were stationed in my native Germany during the time of his deployment, and the support for the families on post had been great. But nothing compared to the soldiers' homecoming, as you will see in the following paragraphs.

On May 8, 1991, after six months of waiting and worrying, Nellingen Barracks was teaming with hundreds of spouses, children and troops who were already back from the war. Every tree along the main road was adorned with a yellow ribbon, and the air was thick with anticipation. Loudspeakers mounted outside the gym kept the excited crowd up to date.

"They have landed!" (Cheers)

"They are leaving the airport." (More cheers)

Ten minutes later: "They are on the Autobahn." (Screaming and flag waving)

Fifteen minutes later: "They are stuck in a 'stau,' "— a traffic jam for which the Autobahn is famous. (Laughter and booing)

And finally, finally, the greatest announcement of all: "The boys are at the front gate!"

The gym of Nellingen Barracks is all the way in the back, and as soon as they announced the arrival at the gate, we went ballistic. We screamed at the top of our lungs, and the pits of our stomachs tingled. Some people hyperventilated.

Suddenly you could hear it, faintly at first — the sirens of German fire engines. Those in the crowd held their breath, the wails of the sirens and honking grew louder, and small children clung to their mothers' necks.

When the first truck rounded the corner, Stuttgart's mayor at the helm, a collective roar erupted from the group. The image still chokes me up — a convoy of fire engines followed by several German luxury-line buses filled with returning GIs. The mob descended on the vehicles as the soldiers, still dressed in their desert fatigues, spilled out and raised their arms heavenward, laughing and yelling, searching for loved ones. After tearful reunions, they were feted in the gym.

I will never forget that day as the heroes, escorted by my native countrymen, were hailed back from a swift war against a stubborn fool.

It is sad that the returning National Guard soldiers and their families were deprived of a goosebump forming reception. I am aware that not even the mothers or wives knew the date of their arrival until a couple days before, but in the future, please let someone know when troops are coming home, so that we can be there to welcome them. With all the Scouts, Veterans of Foreign Wars members, youth councils, high school bands and many other organizations in any town, the soldiers' arrival should not have gone by unnoticed.

To every American soldier out there, leaving or returning, and your loved ones who are holding down the fort in your absence, my family and I salute you.
Uta Burke
East Brunswick