Home > Georgians@War > Archives > 2007 > February > 24 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USTrip home starts in Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kenneth Hutnick knows the only route back home to Alpharetta is the one that takes him away.
He steps aboard the MARTA rail car at North Springs station, and the train hurtles south. Away from his wife, Suzanne. Away from his three daughters, Katie, Erin and Ashlyn, just 27 days old. He held the baby in his arms at the breakfast table until it was time to go.
Earlier this month, MARTA had delivered Hutnick to his cherished family. Then, he was a soldier returning from the battleground of Iraq to warm embraces and the joy of a newborn.
“It’s the kind of stuff movies are made of, almost,” he says, reflecting on his homecoming.
But time whizzed by faster than any train.
Now Hutnick is going back to war, exchanging the softness of three little girls for a company of 160 men, roughened on the edges from time in the infantry. It’s his second time in Iraq with the Georgia Army National Guard.
The train takes him farther and farther from the loved ones he won’t see again until August or perhaps September. In his head, the 42-year-old company commander already has started the six months remaining in battle.
“It begins with the journey back,” he says. “You can’t come home until you’ve left.”
Call it soldier discipline. Hutnick is adept at compartmentalizing his emotions. “Part of it is that if you linger on it, it hurts,” he says about leaving home. “So I try not to linger on it. Maybe it’s unhealthy.”
He laughs at his psychological evaluation of himself.
On this late February day, dancing daffodils and budding trees offer glimpses of the spring that lies ahead. In Tal Afar, a northern Iraqi town not far from the Syrian border, where Company H, 121st Infantry is based, Hutnick will see a different spring. The rain will dissipate and the searing heat of the desert will roll in. No dogwoods or azaleas will color Hutnick’s vista.
The MARTA stops pass by quickly. It’s almost 11 a.m.
At the Lindbergh Station, a soldier dressed in full combat uniform steps aboard the train.
The officer in Hutnick can’t help himself. He inspects the young enlisted man. He shouldn’t have his shades on inside, Hutnick notes. And he’s not wearing his rank on his patrol cap.
Hutnick has been away from his own soldiers almost a month. He is eager to get back to them. He is anxious: His company might be relocated elsewhere in Iraq.
Life has been good at Sykes, the forward operating base in Tal Afar. Hutnick has not lost any soldiers in combat. What will the next six months hold?
He reads the names of the passing MARTA stations.
Midtown.
North Avenue.
The stops are familiar from his days as a young financial analyst who commuted downtown. As the train pauses at Peachtree Center, he remembers a youthful escapade.
A track star in high school and always one for physical fitness, Hutnick once ran all the way up the steep down escalator at Peachtree Center. He doubts he is fit enough to do that now.
Like a lot of soldiers, Hutnick is a history buff. He especially likes to read books about war. One of his inspirations is Maj. Dick Winters, the leader of Easy Company immortalized in the World War II book “Band of Brothers,” and later in a television miniseries.
Hutnick aspires to be “that kind of leader.” He joined the Army straight out of high school and, after a hiatus, settled on a career in the National Guard.
The train snakes its way through south Atlanta. Hutnick stares at the signs and billboards that flash by in a blur.
West End.
Oakland City.
He says “Fort McPherson” out loud and wonders what will become of the base when it is shuttered in the near future.
Three more stops.
As the train arrives at the airport, Hutnick gathers his olive green duffle bag and backpack. He steps onto the platform in front of little girls carrying winter parkas and rolling pink bags on wheels. The last time he went on vacation with his girls was last summer, to Disney World. He promised Katie he would take her there again when he returns from Iraq.
For the 5-year-old and the rest of his family, that day is the focus — the day a father, husband and son comes home. It is the subtext of all farewells.
Hutnick’s father, who did two tours with the Air Force in Vietnam, had driven his son to the North Springs MARTA station. They exchanged military banter during the short drive down Ga. 400, then hugged goodbye.
“I love you, Dad.”
As Hutnick turned to walk toward the turnstiles, his father called out: “If you’re going to be like Dick Winters, remember: He came back.”
As morning turns to afternoon, the Army captain makes his way through airport security, to the international terminal.
His journey away from home is just hours old. But it is the beginning of coming back.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Categories: Moni Basu
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By Racheal Leonard
February 25, 2007 6:29 PM | Link to this
God Bless you and your family. May God bring you and all the other troops back home safe and very soon.
By JJMB
February 25, 2007 7:02 PM | Link to this
I thank Kenneth Hutnick for his service to this country. Without him, and those like him, we all would be dancing a jig to a dictator’s tune.
By Robin Coley (mom to SPC Elliott Co H 121st Inf)
February 25, 2007 8:13 PM | Link to this
I remember June 6, 2006 saying our “see you laters” to Cpt Hutnick, my son, Spc Elliott and all the other soldiers of Company H, 121st Infantry. My heart opened to your story of Cpt Hutnick’s bitter sweet visit home. My eyes teared sharing in their joy and pain. My son, Joe comes home for his R&R in March then goes back for another 5 months. His fiance, Anita and brother, Chris are excited about his arrival. We are a strong family that supports our military and soldiers. Thank you Co H and Godspeed.
By Stan Coley (Dad to SPC Elliott, Co. H 121st Inf)
February 25, 2007 8:58 PM | Link to this
It’s always great to hear updates from Company H, 121st, and to see the tremendous support for them, from so many people, on a daily basis. My family and I will ALWAYS support our military unconditionally, and we appreciate the awesome sacrifices made to get the job done. Thanks to Cpt. Hutnik and the 121st for their service. God Bless the USA and our Military, and Godspeed.
By Anita Simpson
February 25, 2007 9:19 PM | Link to this
My fiance is currently serving with Company H in Iraq. Thank you for this article, AJC. I believe that is important for everyone to understand the sacrifice that is made by our soldiers and their families to protect the U.S.A. that we know and love. I send all my love and support to all our soldiers and their families. May God Bless America.
By Mary Steffes
March 7, 2007 11:17 PM | Link to this
Please let the Huntnick family know they are in our daily prayers. I attend a weekly bible study and we have lifted your family up in prayer and will continue to do so until Kenneth is safely home. God bless his courage and willingness to serve our country.