LAKEWOOD, Wash. — At Galloping Gerties Grill here, Sue Rothwell can spot the soldiers who have returned to nearby Joint Base Lewis-McChord by their tanned faces and the way their children cling to their necks.
Up the block at Plaza Cleaners and Laundry, a pile of dusty Army dress blues and greens await altering for a homecoming ball scheduled for this weekend. And three freeway exits north at Mina’s Nails, a line of military wives and girlfriends wait to get their nails painted with extravagant designs that match their evening gowns.
“They all left in dribs and drabs, and all of sudden, this town was empty,” said Ms. Rothwell. “Now, it’s a sea of green here in the morning.”
These are scenes that play out in military base towns whenever troops return from war — but rarely with the frequency and intensity that this town and others across the country are seeing now as the Pentagon draws down troops in Iraq.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/21/us/21troops.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
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