Surreal.

That’s the word Specialist Michael Hearson of Summer Street repeats over and over again when he thinks about the journey he’s been on for the last 14 months.  A journey that took the member of the Massachusetts National Guard’s 1058th Transportation Company from Fort Drum, New York to Kuwait and Iraq and now back home to Duxbury.

“Being home is like when I first arrived in Iraq,” he said.  “You ask yourself ëAm I really here?’  You get into your routines and then you have these dramatic changes and you are somewhere else, so it is very surreal.  I woke up [Saturday] at home and couldn’t believe it, but I’m very happy to be home.”

Hearson was just one of the nearly 160 soldiers who were welcomed home Friday as their multi-bus motorcade pulled into the National Guard Armory in Hingham with friends, families and appreciative citizens waiting to celebrate their homecoming.

Among the hundreds on hand in Hingham were Hearson’s father John, mother Ruth and brother Steven, who had stayed in constant contact since the youngest member of the family made his initial journey to Iraq last April.

As one of the first transportation companies to hit the sandy landscape of the country after the war began, Hearson and his unit transported troops and cargo for the Third Infantry Division, the First Armored Division and other companies back and forth from Kuwait to Iraq.  While these missions were dangerous enough, the unit’s role changed in late August of last year when they became gun truck escorts.

While Hearson admits the change in duty had many worried and took a while to get proper safety equipment to protect the unit, he and his fellow soldiers accepted the role as part of their obligation as soldiers.

“Yes, I knew there was danger; there was danger in doing transports,” said Hearson, a 1995 graduate of Duxbury High School.  “Any soldier knows how to keep vigilant at all times.  If there is a threat, you do not hesitate.  I thank God, however, that a majority of the time, I said a prayer before each mission and believed the good Lord was with us on every one.”

Hearson said his unit had nearly two dozen “contacts” with enemy fire, including one on his own truck outside Falluja, what he describes as the “hot spot” of hostile activity in Iraq.

It happened during a mission to transport and pick up members of the Third Infantry Division and shortly after the unit began their new roles as gun truck escorts.  After stopping for a maintenance issue, members of the unit had been told to look out for enemy fire as one truck had already been hit by mortar fire.

Soon after the warning, the roar of machine guns was heard as Hearson and other soldiers returned suppressive fire and safely returned to their home base in Tikrit.

Hearson said that during time in the country, many of the Iraqi people were anxious for freedom and happy to see the soldiers.  From repairing damaged schools to helping establish an irrigation system for farms, the 1058th participated in many goodwill projects while in Iraq to do what they could to help the country’s citizens.

“A lot of these people just want to live in peace and wanted benefits for their children, so they were glad we took Saddam out,” he said.  “I believe there is a lot of good there and some badÖbut it’s very turbulent because Saddam ruled so heavily, now there are new opportunities and many different factions trying to take advantage.”

While Hearson and others performed their duty overseas, his family members were doing their part to support him as active members of a National Guard support group for the unit.  Getting weekly updates from the unit’s commander as well as phone calls and e-mails from their loved ones, the support group did its best to help the soldiers’ families during a difficult time for many.

“The support group kept family members busy so that the soldiers didn’t worry about things at home while they were in Iraq,” said Hearson’s father John, a Vietnam veteran of two tours of duty.  “I know that danger is part of the job he has and comes with the turf; I know what can happen.  I now know how my dad felt with me in Vietnam but I didn’t experience that until my child was in combat.”

Older brother Steven said he watched the news regularly after Michael headed to Iraq, but stopped after a while.

“You hear about things over there and you don’t want to deal with the fact that it could be your brother,” he said.

As for mother Ruth, she hardly ever watched television coverage of the war and instead relied on prayer to get her son and his unit safely home.

“I knew that she was praying for us and that made me feel protected,” said Spc. Hearson.

All of the family’s prayers went answered Friday when Michael stepped off the bus and instantly saw his mother waiting with open arms. 

With the return comes readjustment, something the elder Hearson knows from his return from Vietnam and which he will help his son deal with over the next few weeks.  On the immediate agenda for his son is to reconnect with family, his girlfriend and other friends and re-adapt to civilian life.  After that, he plans to find his own place to live and possibly return to school and pursue a job in civil service.

“Home, to me, means a new beginning and new opportunities,” said the guardsman of six years.  “I’ve always been grateful to be an American and especially after this journey, that is even more meaningful.  Friends and family have also become more important than ever for me and I feel more connected to my father [and his experience as a soldier].”

As for others who may criticize the United States’ presence in Iraq, Hearson said that he did his duty and hopes something positive comes out of his and other soldiers’ roles overseas.

“With all the hype and controversy, deep down I know I did my job,” he said.  “I took on two missions doing transports and gun truck escorts and fulfilled my duty past the standards.  It was worth it and I hope something good comes out of this and Iraq becomes a prosperous nation.  I’m home after serving my country and I pray for the soldiers who are there now doing the same to come home safely.”