By Rod Hansen
Staff Writer

Seven months after watching their soldiers leave for combat in Iraq, some local families are expecting a homecoming within the next few weeks.

Family members of Jeremiah Leibrandt and Lloyd Mackenzie say they believe their Marines will be returning by the end of the month. Leibrandt and Mackenzie both serve in the First Batallion 25th Marine Regiment, B Company, also known as the 1/25 Marines. That reserve company deployed for Iraq in March following three months’ training in California’s Mojave Desert.

Bog Road resident Tami Leibrandt said she learned during a telephone conversation with her son Jeremiah that he expected to return home later this month following seven months’ combat in Fallujah, one of the war’s most notorious battle zones.

“Everyone’s so proud of what they’ve done, but it’s been a hard few months,” Leibrandt said.

“You live moment by moment” as the parent of a Marine, Leibrandt said. “You want to answer the phone but you don’t want to answer it, and every day you can’t wait for the mail to come.”

The Leibrandt family did receive some fearful news recently when they learned Jeremiah had suffered a head injury when his unit took shrapnel from an anti-tank mine, Tami said.

Jeremiah, who was in the tank’s turret at the time of the incident, suffered a head injury that sent him to a medial facility north of Fallujah. Tami said she spoke to her son last week, and said he has recovered from the injuries.

A graduate of Goffstown High School, Jeremiah will return to work at the New Boston Air Force Tracking Station following his return, and may also pursue several educational and travel opportunities, his mother said.

Lloyd Mackenzie’s sister Laura said she had talked to her brother the previous week and that he, too is expecting to come home. Of the things he left behind to go to Iraq, Lloyd is anticipating returning to work and relaxation, Laura Mackenzie said.

“He’s really excited to get back, and he can’t wait to drive his dump truck,” she said, noting that Lloyd runs a landscaping business with their brother Evan.

“And he’s really looking forward to sleeping in his own bed,” Laura Mackenzie said.

Spokesmen from 1/25 Marine headquarters in Londonderry did not return calls for this article.

According to information on the company’s Web site, the 1/25 Marines served in support operation Enduring Freedom and the global war on terrorism. The company performed infantry training in Camp LeJeune, N.C., for six months and has deployed to Okinawa, Japan, and the Philippines. Operations there included base, camp and convoy security, and security for medical visits to rural villages.

Given the dangers of combat and the injuries her son suffered in the recent anti-tank attack, Tami Leibrandt said she’s especially grateful for her son’s return.

“It’s just a miracle he’s coming back,” Tami said. And while her own son may no longer be serving in the war, she said the family still plans to support the families of Marines currently stationed in the war zone.