PORTLAND – Their faces lit up when they saw each other Monday morning outside the Portland International Jetport. Kristyn Moreau jumped into Spc. Joshua Moreau’s arms. They kissed, laughed, hugged.

He’s home from Iraq, along with 41 other members of Auburn’s Army Reserve 399th Combat Support Hospital. The unit treated soldiers often wounded by bombs, and cared for Iraqi civilians.

“It feels great, awesome,” Josh said with his wife in his embrace. His family stood by smiling, holding flags and a “Welcome home Josh” sign.

Parents Christine and Normand Moreau of Lewiston were happy to have their son home. “I was upset he left in the first place,” she said. “You don’t know what’s happening to him. But having him back is really nice.”

In Iraq, Moreau, a former Lewiston High School track runner, helped get patients in and out of the Army hospital. “It was an experience,” he said. He said he missed the simple comforts of home, his wife most of all. They married Sept. 17, 2006, while he was on a week’s leave.

Now his first priority is to find a job to pay the mortgage. The couple recently bought a home in Mechanic Falls.

Raymond Vega, 23, was all smiles standing in the brisk Maine air, a sharp contrast to Iraq temperatures, which climbed to 120 degrees and higher. Being home “feels great,” Vega said. “It’s a long time coming. I’ve been thinking about this day for the past year.”

In his normal life he’s a Lewiston police officer. In Iraq he admitted patients and handled medical evacuations. “You see a lot of different injuries you normally wouldn’t see,” he said. Serving there “helps you appreciate more what you’ve got at home.”

Members of the 399th are encouraged to take several months off before going back to work. Vega said he wants to go back sooner. “I miss my friends at work, and I miss the work I do. I like being a police officer.”

Before soldiers went home with families they were honored during a welcome home ceremony inside an airport hanger.

A color guard presented the flag. The national anthem was played. Then the hangar door was opened, revealing the soldiers in formation. Upon seeing them the crowd cheered, hooted and applauded. A band played the Army song.

“Please welcome home the returning soldiers from the 399th Combat Support Hospital,” a voice announced. The soldiers marched in.

Col. Richard M. Carnevale thanked them for their service and cautioned them to take care of themselves. Transitioning to civilian life isn’t easy.

“Your loved ones have changed. You’ve changed. Don’t be in a hurry to rush back to things,” Carnevale advised. “Statistically one out of 100 of you guys will be in a serious incident in the next three months,” which could range from a car crash to drunken driving to a hunting or snowmobiling accident. Take it easy, he said.

Col. David DeHaas, who was in charge of the 399th in Iraq, praised the soldiers, saying the standard of care they provided set the bar high. Soldiers who came into their hospitals had the best care and a high survival rate. “We wouldn’t be able to do that without the help of you all here at home,” DeHaas said, thanking friends and family.

Soon the dismissal order was given, officially releasing soldiers.

Loud applause and cheers again filled the hangar. Families reunited with more smiles and hugs.

Capt. Brian Landry, 32, of Lewiston, was surrounded by his family, including his father, Claude, and mother Gloria. “It was very difficult to have him gone,” she said. “But we’re so proud of him.”

There were challenges in Iraq, Landry said. One was working in full gear when the temperature soared to 140 degrees. The landscape was “desolate,” he said. “No trees, no life.” The Iraqi culture and values were as different as the landscape. Patients included both soldiers and Iraqi civilians, he said.

Some sick or injured Iraqi civilians “were very afraid” when brought to the hospital, said Sgt. Tim Verreault of Auburn, who with his wife, Jessica, worked as a nurse in the 399th. “They thought we were going to kill them because of the lies they’ve been told,” Verreault said. “It was heartbreaking.”

Landry worked in patient administration. “I was in charge of getting them off that bird and admitted to our hospital. I saw quite a bit of things.”

Being back in Maine “is amazing,” Landry said. “The fresh air, the freedom. Seeing my family again is overwhelming.”

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