WELCOME - An Iraqi man touches then kisses the face of Pvt. Garett Alvey-Kuck of Palmdale after the man was searched Wednesday and allowed to pass through an Army checkpoint in Karbala, Iraq. Task Force 2-69 was engaged in heavy fighting with Iraqi forces. Associated Press

Kiss binds people of 2 nations

By RICH BREAULT
Valley Press Senior Staff Writer

Mark and Nancie Kuck of Palmdale were watching CNN's coverage of Operation Iraqi Freedom on Wednesday night, just as they have every night since the war in Iraq started more than two weeks ago.

"Friends tell us that we have to pull ourselves away from the TV, but we're drawn to it," Nancie said. "I am always hoping that I'll get a glimpse of the 3rd Infantry and our son.

"CNN's anchor, Aaron Brown, was talking with a CNN reporter in Kuwait City when she held up a copy of the morning edition of the Kuwait Times, showing a photo of an Iraqi man kissing a 3rd Infantry soldier. She read the caption and said the soldier was Garrett Alvin of Palmdale."

That soldier wasn't "Garrett Alvin" - it was the Kucks' 19-year-old son, Army Pvt. Garett Alvey-Kuck of Palmdale. Garett is a member of Task Force 2-69 Armor, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Benning, Ga.

"The name was wrong, but Garett sometimes mumbles," Nancy explained. "It was such a fabulous feeling to see a picture of him and know that he's all right.

"When we heard 'Garett' and 'Palmdale,' my husband and I went 'Oh, my God!' We couldn't believe it."

The photo was taken Wednesday morning at an Army checkpoint in Karbala, Iraq, following a night of heavy fighting with Iraqi forces. The task force secured its objectives by dawn with no Army casualties.

Nancie said she hadn't seen her son since Dec. 10, the final day of a 10-day leave. The last time they received a letter from their son was March 10.

"Parents worry any time a child is away from home, but when that child is in the Army and we're at war … " Nancie said. "I am very worried for him, but seeing his picture makes me feel so much better."

Mark said 10 minutes after he saw the photo on the news, he left for work on the midnight shift as an air traffic controller in Los Angeles.

"I was pretty wound up," Mark said. "I tried finding the photo on the Internet at work, but didn't have any luck.

"When I got home early in the morning, I found it."

Garett's 8-year-old brother, Mitchell, said, "It was pretty crazy and cool."

"My dad woke me up at about 6 in the morning to show me the picture on the Internet," Mitchell said. "Everyone was pretty excited."

Thursday morning, Garett's grandparents, Russ and Ann Ritchie of Palmdale, stopped by the Kuck house, as did some of Garett's friends.

"Before he left, Garett said he's not going to do anything there halfway. He wanted to give it his all," said Nick Cass, one of Garett's friends.

"I don't even think the sandstorms bothered him.

"He was probably saying, 'It's windy; it's sandy; it's hot. It's the Antelope Valley!' "

Mom thought Garett looked "a little thin" and wondered if he's getting enough to eat.

"Don't worry," Mark said. "He's eating MREs. It's just that he's humping across the desert and burning the calories up."

Nancie said her son started thinking about joining the Army after 9-11. Mark said after seeing the movie "We Were Soldiers," Garett decided to become an infantryman.

Garett attended Palmdale and Littlerock high schools and received his GED before enlisting in the Army.

"He needed some direction in his life and it looks like he's found it," Nancie said.

"I'm sure he's having the time of his life, but it is very hard for us. Every day we worry. But this is so fantastic; out of all those people there, here is our son."

The excitement was still evident well past noon at the Kuck home.

"It's not over yet," Mark told those standing around him. "They still have work to do."

Mark and his wife exchanged knowing glances.

"It's not over yet," he repeated. "But it is here. I need to kick everyone out so I can get some more sleep.

"It's hard to sleep when you're excited."