With faces painted red white and blue and American flags in their hands, friends and family showed up in Cortland Thursday night to welcome home First Sergeant Bob Jarzynkowski. "We all love him. We all love Bob. We're really proud of what he has done," said Mitch Jarzynkowski, Bob's brother.
Jarzynkowski returned to his home base of Ft. Hood in July after his third tour of duty in Iraq. The Champion native just arrived here in the Valley, and after spending the last fifteen months at Camp Bucca in Iraq, his family thought this surprise homecoming was the perfect thing to do. "It just is amazing. I wasn't expecting this. I feel like I don't deserve this. It's so overwhelming," said First Sergeant Jarzynkowski. But his family feels he deserves all the recognition he's receiving. "This was phenomenal. I was so excited, so touched, and it's been great. People honking their horns and just coming up and thanking him. It's really touched my heart. It really has," said Terri Whitt, Jarzynkowski's sister.
Jarzynkowski is a 1979 graduate of Champion High School, and that same year he joined the army. Since then, he's fought in Operation Desert Storm and has earned two bronze stars and five overseas medals. "It's so overwhelming. Like I said, the 15 months there is tough. It's hard, but coming and seeing this? It makes it all worth it. The people here, this is why we're doing what we're doing," Jarzynkowski said.
Jarzynkowski is still on active duty, so there's a chance for future time in Iraq. He will spend the next 10 days in the Valley and is guaranteed the next twelve months here in the states.
