Erial Soldier Part of History

Army Spc. William M. Whitcraft was part of the team that inspected the last U.S. military vehicle out of Iraq as it pulled into Camp Virginia, Kuwait, on Dec. 17—the day that marked the end of the Iraq War.

Looking back on his role in checking in the "last vehicle out of Iraq," the 24-year-old Erial native is proud to have been a part of the historic moment.

"It didn't sink in until afterwards. At the time, it was just like another day at work kind of thing," he said on Wednesday. "I put this picture (see photo with this article) up on Facebook and everyone I knew was commenting on it and sharing it with their friends.

"I just thought it was interesting because a few days earlier, Tech 9—some rapper—was there and I got my picture taken with him, and I put that up on Facebook and that got less attention than the 'last vehicle out of Iraq.' That's what really made it sink in—that so many other people thought it was important also."

Whitcraft is a member of the 233d Transportation Company based at Fort Knox, KY. After serving two-plus years in a full-time capacity with the New Jersey National Guard, he joined the regular Army in April 2010 and was stationed in Kentucky.

Whitcraft knew he'd be coming home from the Middle East shortly after the historic moment at Camp Virginia's "Four Corners" yard, but he fully expected he would miss the familiar sights, sounds and smells that mark the holiday season in the United States.

He did miss Christmas with his family, instead spending the holiday in an airport in Germany awaiting his flight back to the US, but did make it home in time for New Year's Day, which also marks his son's second birthday.

Unfortunately, it was Whitcraft's young son's medical emergency that brought the Erial native and Camden County Technical Schools-Gloucester Township graduate home to the US a bit sooner than was planned.

Whitcraft arrived back home in New Jersey on Monday.

As much as he was looking forward to coming back to the US, Whitcraft admits he gladly would've postponed the homecoming until January rather than to have learned his nearly 2-year-old son, William Jr., had been hospitalized with seizures just days before Christmas.

"He's doing alright now," Whitcraft said. "They gave him medication he's got to take every day. We've still got to get tests, but we're going to do them in Kentucky. The hospital released him so we can take him back to Kentucky and get the testing done closer to home."

Whitcraft is glad to be home with his wife, Erica Derr-Whitcraft, and their children—and grass.

"It's great. I tell you what—it's good to see grass. I'm actually glad there was no snow. I wanted to see grass so bad," he said. "The chance to see my kids—I don't know, it's a whole different experience. It's like watching them being born again, I guess. Amazing."

And his family is glad to have him here.

"It was great to see him. We were worried to death about him," father William A. Whitcraft said Tuesday.