S.C. National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Todd Griffith hugs his daughter, Katherine, 10, ending his deployment to Afghanistan with the 218th Infantry Brigade. Griffith was one of 17 soldiers who was welcomed home during a ceremony at the Newberry Armory on Wednesday.
NEWBERRY — “Daddy’s home.”
Sixteen-year-old Timothy Griffith announced it to waitresses as his family entered their regular hangout, The Palms Grill and Bar.
He said it again when the piano player from his community theater group showed up at the restaurant.
And again, the words “Daddy’s home” when an old teacher stopped at the table to talk.
The teenager might not have looked his father in the eye and said how glad he was to have him back home. But it was evident as he spread the word to everyone he saw Wednesday night.
Sgt. 1st Class Todd Griffith, 43, was one of 17 soldiers who returned Wednesday to the Newberry armory amid cheers from their families. They were among the last of the 218th Brigade Combat Team to return to South Carolina, and the celebration was one of seven that took place across the state.
Griffith almost missed the ceremony, arriving a few minutes behind the bus carrying other soldiers. Because his demobilization paperwork was completed at the last minute, he drove an S.C. Guard van back to South Carolina from Fort Bragg, N.C.
Still, he managed to be first in the line of soldiers marching in.
“He looked like big, bad Daddy walking in,” said his wife, Kim Griffith.
The soldiers and families sat through a 15-minute ceremony and then reunited with hugs and kisses.
Most of the soldiers, including Griffith, already had seen their families over the weekend. Their demobilization at Fort Bragg got delayed when a large number of returning troops arrived at once. They were given weekend passes to visit over the Mother’s Day weekend and returned to North Carolina on Sunday night to finish.
Over the weekend break, Griffith lay low. He and his family stayed around the house and eased into the adjustment from combat to family life.
“I’m just happy he’s home,” said Kim Griffith, 43.
It has been a long year for the family in South Carolina. Kim Griffith underwent reconstructive breast surgery after surviving a bout with cancer. Ten-year-old Katherine had surgery on her feet to correct problems caused by cerebral palsy. Timothy got his first driver’s license and had his first car wreck.
While the family was more than ready for him to be back, Todd Griffith said, “There’s a little nervousness on how I’ll handle it and fit back in.”
On Wednesday, the family went to their favorite Newberry restaurant so Griffith could eat his first rib-eye steak since returning from combat. At dinner, he got a taste of being a parent when Timothy asked for money to buy gas. And when Katherine needed help cutting her steak.
Despite the nervousness about fitting back in, Griffith also described a feeling of relief that the deployment was over. After 16 months, training and then working in Afghanistan, the mission and life away from home had grown tiresome, he said.
“I enjoyed everything I did there and really liked the people I worked with. It’s hard to remember when we were back in Mississippi training, it was so long ago.
“Now, I can fall back into the family and my life.”
Reach Phillips at (803) 771-8307.
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Video: 218th Homecoming in West Columbia