VOICES OF VALOR: Service Recognized, A Soldier Is Welcomed Home

MOUNDSVILLE -- Surrounded by family, friends and even Kroger shoppers, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Courtney Narick of Martins Ferry was welcomed home Friday at the Moundsville Kroger in a celebration marked by hugs, cake and a reminder of the importance of valor and service.

Narick, 32, got to visit with family and serve cake to Kroger shoppers during a welcome-home event held Friday at the store.

Narick, 32, is the daughter of Melissa Pelley and Scott Pelley. She arrived home about two weeks ago after a deployment in Iraq and Jordan. This is her third deployment with the Army.

Accompanying her at Kroger were her son Jacob; sisters Lauren, Samantha and Grace; grandparents Pam and Dan Robertson of Moundsville; nephew Adrik and niece Rylee; and bakery manager Lori Van Dyne.

Narick grew up in Wheeling and graduated from Wheeling Park High School in 2012. She enlisted in the Army in 2011 when she was a junior at Park.

She completed basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and then attended Fort Sam Houston for advanced individual training as a medical logistician.

Narick said she was inspired to join the Army by her uncle Robert Mullavey's service.

"I remember welcoming him back from Iraq when we were little kids," she said. "That's when I decided I wanted to join the Army, too. He would send pictures back from when he was in Iraq, and that's what I always wanted to do -- be a soldier."

Narick said while in Iraq she worked in a field hospital, did medical logistics and worked in pharmacy operations. She was there for eight months.

"It was very busy. This was my first time doing pharmacy operations. ... It was a great learning opportunity this time around," she said.

Narick's first deployment was to Afghanistan in 2014-15, and her second deployment was to Iraq in 2021.

Narick is proud to be a member of the Army and serve her country.

"It is very fulfilling. It feels great to be a part of something bigger than myself, and feel like I'm contributing and making a big difference," she said. "But it is hard to leave everybody behind. Especially my niece Rylee, my sweet baby girl. And my son Jacob; this is the second time he's had to go through it with me and deal with mom being gone."

Jacob said he missed his mom a lot.

"I was in shock whenever she came back. Because they were getting me McDonald's, and when I went to get my McDonald's out of the car I saw her hat," he said.

Narick said she was surprised to see how much her son had grown while she was gone.

"He's so much taller than me now," she said. "He was barely taller than me when I left, and when I got back home I had to look up to him to give him a hug."

Narick, who is also a registered nurse, said she plans to take about a month off before returning to work as unit manager at Cameron Healthcare Center.

She added she wanted to thank the community for their love, support and prayers while she was deployed with the 115th Field Hospital, based at Fort Polk, Louisiana.

"We all appreciate your prayers," Narick said. "And definitely thank you to Kroger for participating in Red Fridays and sending me pictures while I was gone and supporting me that way. It got me through some hard days looking at those pictures and seeing everybody back home."

Van Dyne said she works with Narick's sister Grace in the bakery department and wanted to show support and celebrate her homecoming.

"We heard lots about her and she worried us to death every day," Van Dyne said. "We're just proud to have someone from around the area to recognize."

Pam Robertson said she is happy her granddaughter is home safe.

"I just did a lot of praying and I'm just so glad she is back. ... She's like mine. She used to stay with me all the time, and never wanted to go home," she said. "They were always at my house when I had days off or weekends off. We did all kinds of stuff together."

Dan Robertson is also happy his granddaughter is back home, but it was difficult waiting for news about her and the war happening in the region.

"The way everything just broke loose this time and she was right in the middle of it," he said. "And we didn't know. It's heartwrenching when you don't know what's going to happen."

The Robertsons said they had Narick on many prayer lists belonging to their friends.

"She was getting prayers from everywhere. Thank God," he said.

To help herself get through the agony of waiting, Pam Robertson said she made a patriotic tree and placed Narick's photo and her fellow soldiers' photos on it.

"I had to do something to keep myself busy," she said. "We're so proud of her. It's what she always wanted to do."