Dad back from Iraq; new son born

COLUMBUS - Chase William Wangler joined the family ranks late Sunday night, just hours after his soldier-dad had returned to their Columbus home following more than a year serving in the Iraq desert.

Brad and Nicole Wangler were reunited earlier Sunday during a Lincoln celebration honoring the return of 250 Nebraska Army National Guard soldiers.

The couple's first child wasn't due until late-July or early-August, plenty of time, Nicole thought, to leave town to welcome her husband home without worry about pregnancy complications.

Chase William couldn't wait.

“I guess he was excited that his dad was coming home,'' said a cheery, but tired Nicole while recovering Monday afternoon at Columbus Community Hospital. “He wanted to join in the excitement.”

The Wanglers' new arrival tipped the scales at 5 pounds, 8 ounces and 18 1/2 inches. Mom and baby are doing fine.

“With my husband coming and the new baby, we had a double-whammy of excitement,'' said Nicole, who was expected to go home from the hospital today.

“We were just hoping to have a healthy baby,'' Nicole said.

Chase William is expected to stay in the hospital a few more days.

Waving American flags and a three-mile procession of Patriot Riders greeted the returning soldiers Sunday in Lincoln.

The soldiers were bused to Haymarket Park where they were joined by their families for the homecoming celebration.

In January, the Nebraskans in the Guard's 1st Squadron, 167th Cavalry and in the 134th Infantry Detachment (Long-Range Surveillance) were extended an extra 125 days as part of President Bush's plan for boosting U.S. troop strength in Iraq.

The normal tours have been one year.

They were first called to active duty in October 2005 and spent several months in training before deploying to Iraq in March 2006. Brad Wangler served about 22 months overall.

After enjoying Sunday's festivities in Lincoln, the Wanglers returned to their Columbus home in the early-afternoon. By 4 p.m., Nicole wasn't feeling too well and decided to go to the hospital emergency room for a checkup.

When Nicole arrived at the hospital, her water broke, and Chase William was on his way. He was born less than six hours later at 11:42 p.m. Sunday.

“Things happened pretty quickly,'' Nicole said. “It was about 5 1/2 hours (of labor) from start to finish.”

Meanwhile, Brad, who was in the delivery room with his wife during the birth, won't have a lot of time to settle back into civilian life. That four- to five-week window of time for getting ready for the new baby closed pretty suddenly.

Brad, who will have a break before returning to his job as a Columbus police officer, will be spending the coming days getting the nursery ready for his new son, Nicole said with a smile.

He'll be pretty busy putting a crib and other furniture together, she said.

Nicole is the coordinator for Project Extra Mile in Platte and Madison counties.