MILAN — Don Jirousek’s shoulders loosened and he let a huge sigh slip free Saturday as his son stepped off a charter bus after serving 15 dangerous months in Iraq.

“It’s been horrible. Talking to him on the phone is the only thing that’s kept us going,” he said. “This is his third time in Iraq. Three times is too much.”

CHUCK HUMEL/CHRONICLE

First Sgt. Jody Laird, of Wellington, kisses his wife, Yvonne, on Saturday. “We’re relieved it’s over,” they said.

Master Sgt. Steven Jirousek of North Ridgeville was one of 40 U.S. Army reservists in the 192nd Quartermaster Company to be welcomed home by cheers and relieved sobs.

His 10-year-old daughter, Hannah Obremski, refused to leave his side.

“It was hard to wake up in the morning and know anything can happen to him over there,” she said.

For more than a year, Jirousek has watched Hannah and 5-year-old Stephanie grow up via an Internet webcam. Not being able to help raise them was harder than living with shellings and IEDs where he was stationed just south of Baghdad, he said.

The 192nd worked to rebuild fuel dumps and supply tanks and helicopters. The unit dodged mortar blasts regularly but came home without a single casualty.

“These soldiers are heroes. They walked into Baghdad and changed the face of our logistical support,” Major Philip Sharp told the gathered families in a brief ceremony. “Now I’m giving my soldiers back to you, who have supported us so much, and I’m asking you to take care of them.”

After being dismissed, Sgt. 1st Class John Wallace of Elyria didn’t waste time getting through the crowd to his girlfriend of eight years, Heather Beck.

“It’s always harder on the ones you leave at home, even though we had to deal with bullets and mortars,” he said. “We were fighting a war, but they were fighting their worries.”

Wallace is a history teacher at Elyria High School, where he also coaches volleyball, basketball and baseball. He said that after a hot shower, his first destination was a courtside seat at the Lady Pioneers’ basketball game against Hudson on Saturday night, where he surprised his players.

That kind of R&R is well-deserved, said Wallace’s commanding officer, 1st Sgt. Jody Laird of Wellington.

“These guys are tired. They worked 14 hours a day, six days a week under circumstances of life and death the whole time,” he said.

But neither Jirousek nor Wallace plan on lazing around. Both said that after more than a year in the war zone, they’ll have a hard time sitting still and want to head back to work soon.

Jirousek said he’s restless to return to his job as a maintenance worker at APR Security in Elyria, and Wallace said he wants to return to his classroom on Feb. 25. Laird, who as a civilian is a mechanic at BM Rebuilders in Elyria, said he is ready for life to return to normal, too.

Contact Jason Hawk at 329-7148 or jhawk@chroniclet.com.

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