YELLOW RIBBON COMES DOWN

A Johnston County soldier celebrated a special homecoming Tuesday. Sergeant Clint Moore just returned from Iraq and spent the day at his alma mater, South Johnston High School.

When Moore's unit rolled out, the school put up a ribbon as a small tribute to a 1998 South Johnston graduate fighting for freedom so far away.

“Every day you'd walk in and you'd glance up and think about what's happening over there and you'd say a little prayer for him and hope everything's going good,” student body president Whitney Yates said.

Sgt. Moore thought he was coming home to cut down that ribbon after the 3rd Infantry took Baghdad. Instead, he found himself in Fallujah.

“Probably once a week we'd get ambushed,” Moore said. “The worst part is just waiting for it. You know it's coming. Once it happens, it's cool but just waiting, that's when you're scared.”

Moore's family was scared too. South Johnston sophomore Casey Adams is his brother-in-law.

“We were just worried about him coming home to take it down,” Adams said.

On Tuesday, Moore was able to take the ribbon down.

“It makes you feel good that somebody's thinking about you,” Moore said. “Some boys, I don't think they got a letter the whole time they were gone.”