Saugus soldier returns for Christmas

SAUGUS – A family from Saugus received the best present they could wish for when a family member returned home for Christmas.Sgt. Brian Howard, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, arrived home on Tuesday from his station in San Diego and says he’s most looking forward to hanging out with his family and friends during his week-long leave.”It’s great to be home for Christmas,” said Howard. “I’m very lucky. I can’t wait to spend time with friends and family.”Howard’s mother Mary Lou couldn’t stop smiling during the brief homecoming ceremony at the Saugus Town Hall on Thursday morning.”I’ve been telling my friends that I will have the best present under the Christmas tree,” said Mary Lou Howard. “We’re very fortunate to get to spend Christmas with him.”Howard’s twin brother, Sgt. Kevin Howard, is a Marine sergeant with an artillery unit and is serving in Afghanistan for five months.Brian Howard did a tour of duty there, too.”We wish we could have them both home,” said Howard’s father, Ron Howard. “Our son (Kevin) had one request for Christmas: send food. We sent him a big care package with lots of pasta, macaroni and cheese, canned foods, stuff like that. We’ll do a lot of cooking while Brian’s home.”Howard’s sister Cheryl said she hopes to spend as much time as possible with her brother while he’s home.They spent some time cooking together Wednesday night.”We hung out all last night just talking and spending time together,” said Cheryl Howard. “That’s what I was looking forward to. We cooked pizzeles together and that was fun.”Howard, 24, decided to enlist in the military six years ago while he was still attending high school in Malden.”I knew I didn’t want a desk job,” he says.He joined the Marines as a military police officer with the goal of one day working in law enforcement.”I want to become a police officer at some point and the military is a great stepping stone depending on what you want to do,” said Howard. “The benefits are great.”Stationed at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California, Howard trains as a military police officer.”I love this country,” said Howard. “We get so much support. I definitely feel appreciated for my service. I love that about the military.”Howard served in Afghanistan from March to October, training national Afghanistan police.He says experiencing the conditions that people go through in Afghanistan gave him a greater appreciation for his homeland.”It’s a day-to-day struggle to just survive over there,” he says. “There is an amazing difference in lifestyle between ours and theirs. It’s a completely different culture.”He said things are getting better in Afghanistan.”By the time I left Afghanistan the situation had improved,” said Howard. “One of the best parts of doing basic training over there was getting to see our hard work pay off. It was amazing to see (Afghanistan police enforcement) grow as a police force.”Howard says he used to take things for granted until he experienced the military.”I was excited to eat airplane food, never mind my family’s home cooking,” he said. “It’s great to be able to sleep in my own bed for a week, too.”Howard lost several “brothers” from his battalion since he left Afghanistan.”I have lost some close buddies,” he says. “It’s extremely hard to lose brothers in your battalion and continue your mission. You still have to wake up every day and go to work. You have to find your own time to mourn.”He says the community support and outreach for military personnel has been incredible. “Everyone extends their hands to us,” he says. “I never experienced patriotism like this until I joined the military.”The Saugus Military Families group presented Howard with a charitable donation and is also responsible for sending care packages and gifts to Saugus troops during deployments as well as at the time of their homecomings.Diane Blengs, president of Saugus Military Families, said providing gifts and donations for troops would not be possible without the help of many local bu