Published Sunday, July 21, 2002
Herald Staff Writer
Joseph Boyd is the baby of his family, but to the United States Army he is solider they sent to the Middle East to help defend the country.
Pfc. Boyd, 20, of Hermitage, joined the service about a year ago and after completing basic training at Fort Campbell, Ky., he was sent Jan. 6 to Afghanistan, where he was in a helicopter crash a short time later.
He's now home with his family and friends on 30 days leave. Boyd flew into Pittsburgh Friday night.
"All I wanted to do was touch him and know he was real," Boyd's mother Paula said.
"I was a little nervous. I had no choice," he said of being sent to Afghanistan.
"It was very scary. He was too little for that. He's a baby," Maria Hunt, Boyd's oldest sister, said. "I was proud of him though," she quickly added.
Mrs. Boyd said she had no idea where her son was stationed until she saw him guarding the Kandahar Airport in a newspaper picture.
Then the family received word Jan. 28 that Boyd was one of 26 soldiers who were aboard a helicopter that crashed in eastern Afghanistan. There were no fatalities.
"It was crazy," Boyd said of the crash. He said it seemed like it took the helicopter forever to stop after it hit the ground. "I just closed my eyes and prayed."
About 35 minutes after the crash a rescue helicopter arrived and took everyone to a hospital in Uzbekistan, Boyd said. He said he suffered a broken nose, spent a week and a half in a hospital and then returned to duty. He said he felt safer once he returned to duty because he was "back with my people."
"I prayed for him every minute of every day and every night constantly. That's all I could do. You never feel easy," Mrs. Boyd said. She said going to work and taking care of day to day tasks helped to temporarily take her mind off of things.
Now that he's back home Boyd said everything is different. "The trees are greener, the sky is bluer," he said.
"It was so nice to see him," said Boyd's grandmother, Evelyn Leali of Transfer. "He just kissed me and kissed me and kissed me."
There were lots of hugs and kisses to go around Saturday afternoon when the family gathered at the Boyd's home to welcome "Joey," as his family calls him, home.
"I was afraid but I prayed for him always. I knew that if I put him in the Lord's hands it would be okay," Mrs. Leali said.
Domenic Andolina, 11, of Transfer, said besides praying he wrote his cousin letters every day and sent him candy.
Mrs. Hunt said her brother kept a picture of himself with her son Tyler, 5, and also a picture of their deceased grandfather in his helmet. The pictures were lost in the helicopter crash, she said.
Mrs. Boyd said her son missed out on some family events while he was gone. His sister, Amanda Kokoski, just got married last weekend and isn't home from her honeymoon yet, Mrs. Boyd said. And Boyd's third sister, Krista Rogers, is expecting a baby soon.
Boyd's father, Elwood, lives out of the area and was not able to be home this weekend, Mrs. Hunt said. She said the pair plan to meet soon.
One thing that Mrs. Boyd said made her feel better was that an Army official called her the same day as the helicopter crash to let her know what happened to her son. She said she at least knows now that the Army will keep the family informed if something happens.
Boyd said he can't discuss most of the details about his time in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He said he'll return to Kentucky when his leave is up and can't say where he'll go after that.
For the next month Boyd said he plans to spend time with his family and friends and relaxing by the family's swimming pool.
You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Kristen Garrett at kgarrett@sharon-herald.com