N.H. Soldier Happy To Come Home To News Of Bin Laden's Death
MANCHESTER, N.H. (CBS) -- It was a joyous homecoming in Manchester, N.H. for members of the 94th military company as they returned from a year-long deployment in Iraq.
For Norm Vincent it had special significance, as he comes home coming full circle. It was the attacks on September 11th that prompted him to enlist in the army reserves ten years ago, motivated by his first trip to ground zero.
"After 9/11 there was a sense of pride you had as an American that, 'Yup, we're going to fix this.' Enlisting shortly after I said, 'I'm going to be a part of this,'" he said.
WBZ-TV's Beth Germano reports.
He became an integral part of the War on Terror, and now as he returns home feeling his mission was accomplished, the war's mastermind Osama bin Laden is taken out, and he hopes it silences the critics.
"We have a job to do and we did it. By this coming to a head like it did we put closure on it and they realize we were right," he said.
It was a sacrifice not only for himself, but his wife Amanda. They also have seven-year-old twin boys and a four-year-old girl, and this was a year of missing milestones. "They sound different, like little men now," he said.
Vincent's group's job was to train Iraqi police, including the country's first SWAT team. He believes the unit has left behind a more stable force that will help end the American commitment.
And while he just wants to focus on the little things at home now, he believes the big picture has definitely changed.
"I think the end is near. They're going to do great things in Iraq, they already have," he said.
