Chief Warrant Officer 2 Misty Bunker has deployed to Iraq four times, but Aug. 12 was the first time she’s had someone there to greet her upon her return.
Bunker was surprised when she arrived at Fort Leavenworth with the rest of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 705th Military Police Internment and Resettlement Battalion, because her boyfriend, Dave Jackson, had flown in from Boston to greet her.
“Her family is out of state, so she had nobody to be here,” said Danielle Tanner, Family Readiness Group leader for the 705th. “He was a surprise.”
About 150 Soldiers from the 705th returned to post Aug. 12 after spending a year in Iraq. During their deployment, they were key participants in the turn over of two detainee operations facilities, Taji Theater Internment Facility Reconciliation Center and Cropper Theater Internment Facility, to Iraqi control. This was the second deployment for the unit, whose Soldiers also worked at Camp Bucca in 2006. HHC, 705th, is the second unit that has deployed from Fort Leavenworth as a whole since World War II, although individuals and groups are constantly deploying from post.
As a chief warrant officer, Bunker is a property book officer. She oversaw the transfer of equipment and facilities from both detainee facilities to the Iraqi government.
Bunker said her family back home in Porterville, Calif., are supportive, but haven’t been able to attend welcoming ceremonies. In fact, twice she returned to Germany and her family couldn’t travel there.
Tanner met Bunker through her husband, Capt. Brian Tanner, who was also deployed with the unit. When Tanner discovered that Bunker had a boyfriend on Facebook, she contacted him about possibly visiting for the 705th return.
“He was very receptive,” Danielle Tanner said. “At first, he didn’t want to impose.”
Tanner said she also had her husband check with the deployed Soldier to make sure it would be alright for her boyfriend to visit. But, they were still able to keep the actual visit a surprise.
Bunker said she and her boyfriend were able to keep in touch through lots of e-mails, video phone calls, and social media. Although she said it’s not easy for a Soldier with multiple deployments to enter into a romantic relationship, having a boyfriend who is also in the military made it easier, she said.
Bunker was quiet about where her relationship will lead in the future. However, she said she’s spending her rest and relaxation time with him in Boston.
Tanner said she was glad she could help. As FRG leader, she took on the responsibilities of helping family members of Soldiers throughout the deployment. For her efforts, she has been named Volunteer of the Quarter by Army Community Service.
“I think it’s very important to have someone to greet you,” Tanner said. “Because you’ve been gone all year and you just want somebody there to greet you, to say it’s over, and that you’re home.”
Services to help reintegrate Soldiers and their families are available throughout post. The 705th battalion chaplains have two events: a marriage enrichment retreat for families from Aug. 23-25 and Aug. 29-31, and a single Soldiers’ retreat Aug. 31-Sept. 2.
Religious Services, 684-8990, also has small group sessions led by seasoned combat veterans and their spouses called “Faith-Based Solutions to the Combat Experience,” which is available to anyone on post.
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Fort Leavenworth and Army Corrections Brigade will officially welcome home Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 705th Military Police Internment and Resettlement Battalion, during a ceremony at 10 a.m. Aug. 20 at the Lewis and Clark Center’s Eisenhower Auditorium. Community members are invited to attend. HHC, 705th returned from a year-long deployment to Iraq Aug. 12.
