Lake Zurich soldier home for Christmas

For the first time in two years, U.S. Army Specialist Joshua Meyers will celebrate Christmas with his family.

The 24-year-old Lake Zurich High School graduate, who enlisted in November 2009, spent the past year serving with the 3rd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment in Herat, Afghanistan. The year before, he was in Germany with his unit.

But now his tour of duty is over and he's home - home with parents and siblings and friends who are grateful for his safe return.

As he shopped for gifts and other merchandise at a local Target last week with his oldest sister, Charity, and a cousin, Meyers reflected on what it means to be back in Lake Zurich for the holidays.

"I count my blessings," the soft-spoken soldier said as he walked through the aisles. "Some people in other units, they didn't come back."

<h3 class="breakHead">358 days</h3>

The youngest of Joy and Robert Meyers' seven children, Joshua enlisted in the Army after spending some time in community college.

"College wasn't the thing for me," he explained.

But the Army is.

"He's always wanted to be a soldier, since he was a little boy," said Charity Meyers, who lives in Crystal Lake. "And now he's doing it."

As part of the 3-4 Infantry's Bravo Company - called the Barbarians - Meyers was among the U.S. and allied troops training the Afghanistan army how to be better soldiers.

The program is formally called Regional Basic Warrior Training. They go over everything from weapons systems to proper hygiene.

"We teach them everything we've learned," Meyers said. "It was their basic training."

Meyers spent exactly 358 days in Afghanistan. He's sure of the number.

The final night was a difficult one. A group of soldiers going home rotated keeping guard to make sure nothing bad happened while they were asleep.

Nothing did. Hours later, he and his fellow troops were headed to Germany, where his unit is based, and then to the U.S.

<h3 class="breakHead">Coming home</h3>

He returned Dec. 17 to Lake Zurich, taking a commercial flight from Germany to O'Hare International Airport. Without his knowledge, Meyers' family arranged a memorable welcome.

After the plane landed, fire trucks approached and hosed it down with water. Meyers was then called to the front of the plane because of a fabricated emergency.

When he stepped through the doorway, he found Chicago firefighters lining the boarding bridge and applauding his arrival.

"The look on his face was pure shock and surprise, and then there was a huge, huge smile," Charity recalled.

Chicago police escorted Meyers and his family - who had filled a few cars - from the airport. And as the caravan approached Lake Zurich, Lake Zurich police officers and firefighters took over and led the procession through the village.

The procession ended not at home but at Lake Zurich's American Legion Post 964, where a surprise party awaited Meyers.

"It was just amazing to see Lake Zurich come out," Charity said. "We feel that we ended the day with more friends than we started with."

Meyers' mom, Joy, struggled to find the words to describe how it feels to have her son home.

"Just to see him, just to watch him," she said. "To hear his car pull into the driveway again."

One morning, Joshua went out early and came back with breakfast for his mom. She was touched by the gesture.

"It's the little things," she said.

<h3 class="breakHead">'He's so fulfilled'</h3>

Meyers wore blue jeans, sneakers, a T-shirt and a black jacket for the trip to Target. A knit Chicago Bears cap was pulled tight on his head.

He was indistinguishable from the other shoppers. Looking at him, you'd never guess he'd been in a war zone just a few days earlier.

"It's still pretty weird," Meyers said.

Meyers' homecoming coincides with the family's move to McHenry County. In between packing and moving boxes, Joshua and Joy Meyers have shared a lot of hugs and a lot of laughs, she said.

A large Christmas Day celebration is planned today for the Meyers family at the new house in Union. There'll be plenty of food and gifts to be exchanged.

Despite the chaos of the move, a Christmas tree will be decorated, too, although Joy Meyers was insistent it not be put up until all of her children were together.

Last Christmas, Meyers and his unit ran training missions in the morning. Later in the day, they watched movies, ate dinner and spoke with loved ones back home, Meyers recalled.

He didn't mind being far from Lake Zurich for the holiday, but it was hard on his family.

"Christmas just wasn't the same without him," Joy Meyers said.

Meyers has re-enlisted for a second tour, this time for five years. He'll be stationed for at least one year at Fort Stewart in southeast Georgia.

Although she worries about her brother's safety, Charity Meyers understands his decision to re-enlist. She knows it's important to him.

"He's so fulfilled with this," she said. "He's happy."

Home: Man signed up for second tour