European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 22, 1981, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes january 1981 Rush of of know they Are free1 a sea of tears greets the hostages by Bill Walker City editor Rhei main Germany the they told As much about the arrival As the hundreds of the banners and the unbridled Joy that americas 52 hostages had come Home to i after 18 years of reporting i thought i could cover most events without becoming emotionally but like Many others standing in the first Glimmer of Dawn on the Tarmac at the tears streamed Down my Cheeks As my countrymen came Home after months of Many of us in the press Section we were but we could not reach across the Barrier to touch and hold and Tell each of the 52 How much they had been on our minds since so we watched them from behind the Barrier and wiped our eyes and tried to take notes on a moment in history we were thousands gather from All Over the thousands of people converged on Rhei main to watch As the two c9 jets came out of the dark sky shortly before 7 bringing Back the 52 former Lanny Tarter got up before 4 in acid drove an hour to see his countrymen Safe from Cap in glad there in glad there in psyched said the company operations no from got to be at work at 8 he but i was Gonna be 4 Larry 8th inf brought the division Flag from bad Kreuz Nach to wave and his 4 Rich Ard carried an american we told the to we were going and he said Robinson we Felt like we ought to be even if we have to be at work at weve been up All night we came to see them come Ballard Eddie from co 1st of a group of students brought a sign to Rhei main photo by Dave Didio the 26th inf at was on his last Day of duty in from Tif staying at the Rhei main hotel and i came out to Welcome the hostages i dont know any of but i  want to be a Vietnam returned to a stateside assignment Ken a maintenance offi cer at came out on the icy night with his and their three from Ive got to go to work in about two but this was something i Felt i had to a Veteran Navy officer this is one of those times when you know that there is no other place in the world that you should be but Only one other time in my the Day the Suez canal was have i Ever Felt that senior airman Curtis of came Back to the flight line in the predawn hours to await the c9s he had sent off to Algiers 10 hours Hammill is one of about 50 airmen who maintain the c9s at the planes were in top condition for the i had my Queen Elizabeth Goodluck medallion and my Christopher Hammill patting his Back but in not senior airman Fred from provi in sure glad there 5 Salvatore of the 3rd army div in balanced atop a Hal filled trash barrel in his combat boots and watched the banners and flags and can you feel the togetherness Here to night he in i was not born in the United states but i feel 100 percent american it is a Rush of Joy to know they Are i Haven slept in two warm Welcome As the first of the two c9s rolled to a Stop in front of the Flag waving one Small sign held aloft by two airmen was bathed in the Light of network god bless you the neat printing retired Dudley for Mer inspector general of the was at Rhei main before returning to the the arrival stirred memories of an event 35 years in april 1945 in Austria the night the lights came Back the War ended and for the first time the Little houses in the valleys and Little towns were lighted after years of it was a dramatic that the Only feeling i can remember that compares with this he i am relieved to get these people Home after the despicable act the iranian people pulled on our Bill of the army corps of engineers division brought his family american Flag to Honor the hos his and unfurled the Flag to Salute the return ing former tonight i have a tremendous sense of Pride in Askins i have sense of optimism now we can go for More than 500 Small american provided by the a a fes Rhei main base were distributed to the crowd before the planes arrived and the sea of White and Blue was captured in the lights of hundreds of camera the i the hostages pour out of the door of a c9 plane to the cheers of thousands in their Early morning arrival at Rhei main photos by Stephanie James