May 16, 2008 11:50 pm US/Eastern
Philadelphia Marine Receives Joyous Homecoming
Reporting
Chris May
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
A Marine from Philadelphia received a joyous homecoming at Philadelphia International Airport on Friday.
For any mom of any United States soldier or marine, waiting is the hardest part.
"The beginning of the day went by so fast and now this last half hour has taken forever. Forever!" Carolyn DiPaolo said.
The waiting seemed like forever for Carolyn on Friday as she waited for her son Dominic at the airport.
Marine Lance Corporal DiPaolo has spent the past year in Haditha, Iraq with the 3rd Battalion 23rd Marines 4th Division.
It has been a long, hard year for his family and thanks to bad weather, the wait was stretched out by a couple more hours.
But in the end, it was certainly worth the wait. It was a joyous reunion for Corporal DiPaolo and his family.
It was made even more special by members of "A Hero's Welcome", a Pottstown-based group that organizes welcome home celebrations for America's fighting men and women.
"Aw, it's great, it's great to be home, nothing like it," Corporal DiPaolo said.
Corporal DiPaolo said the toughest part of his tour was not the enemy or the heat, but rather the cold.
He has no plans for the summer, other than to spend time down the Jersey shore.
Being a true Philadelphian, Corporal DiPaolo said his priorities include a cheesesteak and a hoagie.
At some point, presumably after the cheesesteak and hoagie, Corporal DiPaolo will head down south to Jackson, Mississippi where he will complete his senior year at Millsaps college.
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