BANGOR – Thousands of American soldiers have passed anonymously through Bangor International Airport on their way to the war in Iraq. On Tuesday a Hodgdon family got the rare opportunity to say goodbye to their hometown hero face to face.

Sgt. Scott Sjoberg was the first Army soldier off the Lockheed-1011 plane on its way to the war zone in the Middle East. Approximately 200 Army soldiers departed the plane for the 45-minute stop in Maine. Sjoberg was greeted at BIA by his parents, Marilyn and Paul Sjoberg, who carried hand-made signs of support; his brother, Jeremy Sjoberg; his aunt, Pat Foster; and his 12-year-old cousin, Britta Sjoberg.

“They’re heading for Kuwait on their way to Baghdad,” said his mother. “We’re so proud he’s going to represent his family, his country and his Lord. He’s a Christian man.”

Sjoberg serves with the 571st Medical Company from Fort Carson, Colo. He has been serving his country for almost three years and currently works as a Black Hawk helicopter mechanic and also has training in triage.

“My movement officer knew I was from Maine, so he let me know we were stopping here,” said Sjoberg, already wearing a desert camouflage uniform. “When we arrived, they called me to the front of the plane.”

Marilyn’s first words when she saw her son were, “Oh, daddy,” and then she cried out, “Who loves you!” After her first hug, she told her son, “I can’t believe you’re here in Bangor.”

Tears flowed freely from most of the family members as they saw Sjoberg leading the men and women from his company into the airport.

The last time the family was together was Thanksgiving 2002. Sjoberg said one of the hardest parts about departing from the United States is leaving his friends and family behind.

“I love them all and miss them all and look forward to meeting them again,” he said. “The sooner we go, the sooner we’ll be back.”

He added his Army unit has been waiting and is ready for what lies ahead.

“We’ve been waiting to go and to do this,” Sjoberg said. “Everybody is physically and mentally prepared. I think the fears have been eliminated.”

He added that the support of his family is a great boost.

“They’ve always been supportive of everything I’ve done,” he said. “This is nothing out of the ordinary. It’s probably harder on them than it is on me.”

The military transport was scheduled to make two more stops, one in Ireland and one in Greece, before landing in Kuwait.

“We probably won’t be there until close to 48 hours,” said Sjoberg. “We’re supposed to be in country [Kuwait] Thursday night.”

The primary job of the company Sjoberg works for is to save lives. That is one reason a flag-changing ceremony, which involved the Mainer, took place at BIA before the departure.

“At Fort Carson, we’re part of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment,” said Maj. Bill LaChance. “We’ve changed from the red and white cavalry colors back to the maroon color of a medical unit. We’re not combatant. We’re a medevac unit.”

The 571st will use 15 Black Hawk helicopters to provide medical transport.

“If someone gets injured, we go get them and bring them back to the hospital,” said LaChance. “We’re not in the business of creating casualties. We’re in the business of rescuing people.”

Concerns over what her son will encounter when he arrives in the war zone have been tormenting Marilyn Sjoberg.

“I think this is a really nasty war, like no other – they are not playing by the rules,” she said, referring to the Iraqis. “When he said it might be a year, it really hit me hard. But it’s so wonderful that he could come home.”

Sjoberg’s younger cousin has been corresponding with him since he joined the Army. She’s been writing letters to him monthly since she was 9 and said she “just had” to see him off.

“I have a pin of him on my coat so all of my classmates can see him,” Britta said. “We pray for him every day.”

Since the war began, Britta said she and her family have kept a close eye on the news and have been watching President Bush’s speeches.

“We’ve been watching since Sept. 11, but I really started when the war started,” she said.

Many in Hodgdon are getting involved with supporting Sjoberg’s unit, said his aunt.

“We’re building a wall of support for the troops in his hometown,” she said. “This is so anybody in his unit who wants to sign up can.”

The soldiers will be assigned a prayer partner in Hodgdon who will pray for their soldier and become a pen pal. Marilyn said she plans on sending her son many care packages during his time away. She said her son told her the servicemen need sun block, lip balm and throat lozenges. She added her son has one special request.

“He asked for a small, inflatable swimming pool,” Marilyn said. “I thought that was funny.”

One bonus for Sjoberg stopping in Bangor was the chance for his family to meet his girlfriend, Sgt. Cynthia “Smiles” Randolph, who also serves with the medical unit.

Before departing, Sjoberg took photos with his family and received a bunch of cookies and a ton of hugs.

Pfc. Joey Cote of Limestone is the other Mainer in Sjoberg’s company. Cote is a helicopter electrician. He said he didn’t get a chance to call his family and friends, but he wanted them to know he’s doing all right.

“Tell them I said ‘hi’ and I’ll miss them,” he said. “Tell them I’ll be thinking about them, and tell them not to worry.”

The last time Cote was home was last Christmas.