Ross Gellar, 39, is ecstatic to eat dinner with his wife Rachel, 39,
and daughter Rosanna, 17. Could this be because it's something he hasn't
done for eighteen years? "Yes. It is" Ross replies with a big grin.
Eighteen years ago on March 31, 1991, a newly recruited Marine named
Ross Gellar, then just 21, was leaving his hometown of Los Angeles to fight
in a war called Desert Storm. He was leaving behind his newly wed wife,
Rachel, 21, who was three months pregnant. Rachel said she was " horrified
to see him go. We'd only been married for four months. We were going to
have a baby in six months and had just recently moved to a three-bedroom
apartment." Ross reassured her by saying he would be home as soon as he
could. Ross kissed his young wife good -bye and flashed her a smile. He
then got on a plane that would take him to an unknown land to fight for a
country he loved.
" At first, it was really hard being away from Rachel," said Ross, "
but I kept thinking of the day when I could come home to her." For the
first few months letters were written back and forth between the two. The
letters always included the P.S. "I love you and hope to see you soon!"
However, all changed on the night of June 14, 1991. Ross and a
fellow marine were sent to scout an area that was going to be hit the
following day. "Little did I know" sighed Ross " that it was a trap." The
other Marine ran and was shot by a sniper; Ross dropped his gun and held
his hands over his head. The sniper used the gun as a pointer, to point to
Ross and said something in Arabic. Ross was handcuffed and led to the cell
where he would spend the next eighteen years of his life. The next morning
Ross's unit sent a search party for the two missing soldiers. When they
found the body of the other soldier, they assumed Ross had suffered the
same fate.
" When they first told me, I was in shock," Rachel said " I kept
thinking I'm too young to be a widow, and the thought of our baby never
knowing its father was unbelievable."
While Ross lay in a jail cell, trapped from the outside world, he
longed to be at home with his wife. Meanwhile, on September 20, 1991,
Rachel gave birth to his daughter. Rachel named her Rosanna Christine.
As the years went by Rosanna grew into a lovely young lady. Rachel
spoke often of Ross to her, hoping to keep his memory alive. "I remember
wishing my father were here," said Rosanna, " Especially when I was
younger, I remember in Sunday School learning about the Crucifixion, how
Jesus came back after being hung on the cross. I thought that maybe my dad
could come back too." "Ross's being gone hurt the most on special events,
like when Rosanna took her first steps" said Rachel "or when she started
school. I never gave up hope that he might come back, so I taped
everything."
While in his jail cell, Ross lost track of time, and only thought of his
wife and child. " I kept trying to remember the sound of Rachel's voice,"
said Ross "and the curves of her face. It hurt a lot to know I would never
see her again and to never know our baby was heartbreaking."
Then about two weeks ago, Ross was awakened in the middle of the
night by gunfire. The US military had taken over the Iraqi government and
was inspecting government facilities. They found Ross in an Iraqi prison,
talked to him for a while and learned his story. The soldiers took him
back to headquarters and from there he was on his way home to Los Angeles.
"When the plane landed and I saw the city again for the first time in eighteen years" Ross said "I was amazed. I couldn't get over that it was the year 2009 and that I was 39 years old. I went to a Marine Base in Los Angeles to find the address of my wife Rachel. When I found her named printed in the phone book, I started to cry. I was so overwhelmed by knowing that in a few minutes I would see her again for the first time in eighteen years and that I would finally meet my baby that had been born eighteen years before." "When I first saw Ross walking up the steps to our apartment" said Rachel "I thought I was dreaming. I turned to Rosanna and said 'Is that a man walking up the stairs?' She looked and said 'Yeah. Why?' Before I could answer, I was running toward Ross. I leaped into his arms and gave him a kiss, before screaming to Rosanna: 'It's your father!' Rosanna joined her parents outside and they shared hugs and kisses. For the past two weeks Ross, Rachel, and Rosanna have been inseparable. They are trying to catch up on the past eighteen years. " I'm so amazed that he is home," Rachel said, "I used to have dreams like this. I ask Ross to pinch me. Ross asks 'why?' and I answer "because this seems so unreal; I want to make sure I'm not dreaming." After they have a much-needed family dinner, they plan to kick back and watch family movies. " I've missed so much of Rosanna's life," said Ross, "Thanks to Rachel's taping I can have a small glimpse of what I missed." Eighteen years of being away from the woman he loved and not getting to watch his only daughter grow up, Ross Gellar has learned an important lesson: "That you should always appreciate what you've got, because you never how quickly it can be taken away from you." Now Ross is home for good enjoying his wife and daughter for the next 18 years and longer.
"When the plane landed and I saw the city again for the first time in eighteen years" Ross said "I was amazed. I couldn't get over that it was the year 2009 and that I was 39 years old. I went to a Marine Base in Los Angeles to find the address of my wife Rachel. When I found her named printed in the phone book, I started to cry. I was so overwhelmed by knowing that in a few minutes I would see her again for the first time in eighteen years and that I would finally meet my baby that had been born eighteen years before." "When I first saw Ross walking up the steps to our apartment" said Rachel "I thought I was dreaming. I turned to Rosanna and said 'Is that a man walking up the stairs?' She looked and said 'Yeah. Why?' Before I could answer, I was running toward Ross. I leaped into his arms and gave him a kiss, before screaming to Rosanna: 'It's your father!' Rosanna joined her parents outside and they shared hugs and kisses. For the past two weeks Ross, Rachel, and Rosanna have been inseparable. They are trying to catch up on the past eighteen years. " I'm so amazed that he is home," Rachel said, "I used to have dreams like this. I ask Ross to pinch me. Ross asks 'why?' and I answer "because this seems so unreal; I want to make sure I'm not dreaming." After they have a much-needed family dinner, they plan to kick back and watch family movies. " I've missed so much of Rosanna's life," said Ross, "Thanks to Rachel's taping I can have a small glimpse of what I missed." Eighteen years of being away from the woman he loved and not getting to watch his only daughter grow up, Ross Gellar has learned an important lesson: "That you should always appreciate what you've got, because you never how quickly it can be taken away from you." Now Ross is home for good enjoying his wife and daughter for the next 18 years and longer.