Staples World photo by Brenda Halvorson All smiles Sergeant First Class Rodger Pruitt was all smiles Saturday morning at the Stomping Grounds when he was able to hold Kaleb, his foster son, for the first time in six months. He had just returned from Iraq. A Staples area man was among the troops welcomed home from service in Iraq over the Memorial Day weekend.

In an emotional homecoming, Sergeant First Class Rodger Pruitt, rural Browerville, was reunited with his wife, fours sons and a very special son Saturday morning at the Stomping Grounds coffee shop.

While the rest of the family knew he had arrived home the day before, foster son Kaleb was unaware that 'Papa' was home until he saw him in their favorite morning spot.

Both Kaleb and Rodger missed each other during their separation "I missed you," little Kaleb said Saturday morning in Rodger's arms. He was dressed in the camo outfit that Rodger bought at a Fort McCoy PX.

Bette, at the same time, informed her husband that he was not going anywhere again. "I'm tired of being a single mother," she said.

Homecoming A full house welcomed home Rodger Pruitt on Saturday at the Stomping Grounds coffee house when the National Guard sergeant returned from a year's service in Iraq. The family includes his wife, Bette, four sons, their spouses, and foster child Kaleb. From left Staples World photo by Brenda Halvorson are Rodger Jr. and Candy Pate, Jerry and Samantha Pruitt; Jonathan, William, Bette, Kaleb and Rodger Sr. The family surprised little Kaleb when Rodger walked into the Stomping Grounds at 9 a.m. Saturday morning, the first time Kaleb had seen him since last December. Kaleb, three years old, has been with the Pruitts since he was two days old. Bette and Kaleb frequented the Stomping Grounds coffee shop while Rodger was gone as they found the Internet service there much faster than what they have at home.

Also at the Stomping Grounds on Saturday were Rodger and Bette's four sons, Rodger Jr., Jerry, Jonathan and William. Jerry and his wife, Sam, are expecting their first child this week.

Rodger Pruitt spent the past 12 months in Iraq on active duty with the 834th Aviation Support Battalion, a National Guard unit based in St. Paul. Pruitt, who has 21 years of army service, in Active, Reserve and National Guard roles, was in the second of three waves of troops returning to Minnesota over the course of about five weeks in May and June. He had spent about five days prior to his homecoming at Camp McCoy in Wisconsin, going through re-entry process and turning in his gear. Pruitt arrived in St. Paul Friday with about 100 other soldiers from his unit, where he was met by one of his sons.

Pruitt left home last June, when he went for two months of training. He arrived in Kuwait in August, spent a week there and had been at Balad Air Base north of Baghdad ever since, except for a 15-day leave in early December when he came home.

The sergeant's duties included being in charge of food service, managing a convoy cafe and feeding 5,000 soldiers a day. He also oversaw Medevac operations and support for emergency medical personnel. That dual duty gave him a unique look at the size and scope of the operations at the huge base.

His responsibilities included ensuring that civilian contractors lived up to their contracts, and that the U. S. military ful- filled its side of the contracts as well.

"It feels good to be coming home. It's been a long tour," Pruitt said late last week from Camp McCoy, prior to his homecoming. He kept busy the last four days at the Wisconsin National Guard center.

His future is a little uncertain. The last civilian

job, driving truck, has evaporated with the economy,

he said. He's thinking about re-starting a small engine repair shop that he's operated on and off over the years. But he's also eyeing the potential for advancement via a promotion to Chief Warrant Officer. That will involve passing tests and getting accepted into a warrant officer school at Fort Rucker, Alabama. If he's successful, there could be a full time warrant officer position at Camp Ripley in the near future.

The Pruitts have lived in or around Staples the past eight years and currently live on Quartz Road in Moran Township, just up the road from Don and Dave's store.

Three of their four sons graduated from Staples Motley, the fourth from Bertha Hewitt schools. His youngest son, Jonathan, is following in his dad's footsteps, currently serving in the National Guard.