A warm welcome

Westbrook Marine returns home from Afghanistan

WESTBROOK – Lance Cpl. Steven Moreau of the U.S. Marine Corps could not even make it down the flight of stairs at the Portland International Jetport before being bombarded by a flurry of hugs.

Moreau, a lifelong Westbrook resident, returned home from a tour of duty in Afghanistan on Tuesday night, seven months after his stint began.

Friends and family eagerly anticipated his return, but had to wait just a little while longer after his flight from North Carolina turned from a 1:45 p.m. arrival to an 8:30 p.m. arrival in Portland.

Fortuitously, his loved ones did not have to wait quite that long. Moreau emerged from his plane shortly after 8 p.m.

“There he is!” his mother, Michelle Spiller, exclaimed as Moreau’s sisters rushed up the stairs to embrace him.

“Me and my sister are always in a competition to see who can get to my brother first,” explained Moreau’s 11-year-old sister, Shania McCrillis, before turning to her brother and asking, “Is it fun on a plane?”

“I’m excited to catch him up on everything,” said his other sister, 16-year-old Ciarra McCrillis. “He was like my dad growing up. He’s been my best friend.”

As a crowd of around 20 friends and family members swarmed Moreau, someone jocularly called out, “Leave him alone!”

Spiller, though, could not be blamed for doting on her son. As she anxiously awaited Moreau’s safe return, she tried to avoid the nightly news, saying she feared hearing the worst out of Afghanistan’s Helmand Province, where her son was stationed as frontline infantry.

She said he is required to have 10 months of leave, but is at risk of having to return after that.

“I am so relieved. I don’t care for him to be going back over there at all,” she said. “He lost either 10 or 12 fellow soldiers from his battalion.”

Spiller recalled one incident when an improvised explosive device detonated in the hands of an Afghan soldier, blowing off his fingers. The blast sent debris and rocks flying, but Moreau escaped with scrapes and scratches, she said.

Moreau said he could not talk much about his service with the 1st Battallion, 2nd Marines. He did acknowledge the loss of lives, in particular that of Lance Cpl. Richard Penny, a company mate who trained with Moreau and died on May 6.

“He was a very good guy,” he said.

Moreau had never been overseas in his life, having been born and raised in Westbrook. He called Afghanistan “overwhelming in a lot of ways.”

He experienced culture shock, saying the negative perceptions of Afghan people faded as he got to know them.

“They’re actually great guys,” he said.

Spiller’s contact with Moreau was “sporadic” during his seven-month stint overseas, she said. The family received just one letter from Moreau during his tour of duty – “very short and sweet,” Spiller said – and phone calls were only slightly more frequent.

“We were always ecstatic when he called,” she said.

In Afghanistan, Moreau found himself longing for even the simple pleasures of life in Maine.

“He couldn’t wait to roll around on the grass,” Spiller said.

Spiller’s pride for her son’s accomplishments in Afghanistan is at odds with her opinions about America’s role there. She said she is opposed to the war and is saddened by the loss of lives.

“It’s just amazing,” she said. “They’re young boys – especially in this generation. It’s amazing what they do.”

Despite her opposition to the conflict in Afghanistan, Spiller said she remains thankful for what the Marine Corps gave her son.

“It was just a life-changing experience,” she said. “They (Moreau’s superiors in boot camp) said they didn’t know if he was going to make it – but he became a leader. He’s retained so much of what he’s learned from the military.”

His father, Steve Moreau, expressed pride upon seeing his son arrive Tuesday.

“I’m glad to see him. He’s a good kid,” he said. “He talked about (joining the military) for a long time and he finally stepped up.”

Now, Moreau is unsure what he wants to do. In a few days, he said, he will head up to Bangor to pick up his 16-month-old daughter, Peyton. He was unable to be here for her birth, but is looking forward to making up for lost time.

And on Oct. 18, he turns 21. He said he will celebrate by going to a bar.

“I’m excited, but now I just want to relax,” he said.

Returning U.S. Marine Steven Moreau is swallowed up by his mom, Michelle Spiller, moments after arriving at the Portland Jetport Tuesday evening. Photo by Rich Obrey