Woodridge Welcomes Home Marine, Police Officer

Dozens waited outside the Saturday night to welcome home Marine corpsman and Woodridge police officer James Guerra. 

Guerra, a gunnery sergeant in the Marines, returned home from a deployment in Afghanistan. He has served in the Marines for 15 years and as a Woodridge police officer for nine years. 

As part of the Marine Corps reserves, he left a year ago when his unit was activated. 

He has a wife, Andrea, and three children: Vanessa, 15, Gavin, 8, and Charlize, 3. 

Woodridge police met Guerra at Midway to escort him to Woodridge. Members of Operation Welcome You Home, Warrior Watch freedom riders, family, friends and community members formed a flag line as Guerra and the caravan arrived. 

As he hugged those waiting and was presented with various honors from the organizations present, Andrea and Charlize stood by his side. 

"That's the reason we fight," Guerra said. "Not one day went by when I did not think about what [my family was] doing. They're my life. I also have to do my job so that my Marines can come home to their families too."

This was Guerra's third deployment but he said the transition back doesn't become any easier. 

"There's no other feeling than reconnecting with those who mean so much to you," Guerra said. "I'm feeling a lot of joy and relief, and also a lot of us go through a guilt phase that there are others still over there."

Guerra enlisted in the Marines after graduating from Holy Trinity High School. After completing his term of enlistment, he decided to go into law enforcement.

"I had acquired a set of skills that I can use there," he said.  

But he missed the Marines, so he decided to serve in the Marine Corps reserves. 

Whether Guerra will remain on active Marine status or return to the Woodridge Police Department hasn't been decided. 

Donna Morsovillo, founder of Operation Welcome You Home, told Plainfield Patch that the organization started as a fluke more than two years ago when she helped plan a homecoming for a friend. She kept getting calls from parents of soldiers wanting to plan homecomings for their sons and daughters, she said.

"We don't do any advertising," she said. "Families hear about us by word of mouth and come to us."

Morsovillo, who became emotional talking about her efforts, said troops are getting killed everyday and so it's important that their sacrifices be recognized.

"These guys are just doing they're job and don't see themselves as heroes but they are heroes," she said. "It's important to make them feel special."