Marine Takes Break To Catch Up With Family

A local Marine is back on the homefront after spending the last seven months in Iraq. He has a two week break and he says his new mission is to catch up with family, some of whom he hasn't seen in years.

The News On 6's Jeffrey Smith reports Jeff Lamb had one of the most dangerous assignments a Marine can have in Iraq. His job was to find and disable makeshift bombs.

Lamb hasn't been back to Oklahoma in three years, but he says thinking about coming home to his family always kept him going.

"Oh every day. I was hoping it would be as good as it was. And it didn't disappoint," said Jeff Lamb on coming home.

Lamb has spent the last seven months in Iraq scouring around Baghdad looking for bombs and trying to dismantle them.

"You hope to you don't get hit. Hope you see them before they blow up on you," said Jeff Lamb.

"He would go out for days. And he would call and say I'll be gone for 7 to 10 days. And if you don't hear from me its good news," said Cindy Lamb, Jeff's step-mom.

Lamb returned to Oklahoma on Saturday night after the completion of training in California.

"There's not a moment of the day that you don't think what's going on over there, the risks these boys are facing," said George Lamb, Jeff's father.

Jeff Lamb says it's a dream come true. Just to hang out with his sons, Jason and Logan.

Even the neighbors are proud.

"In fact, I've never even met these neighbors, and they're just very kind," said Jeff Lamb.

But it's bittersweet. He's only got two weeks off before he has to report back for duty.

"We wish this was it for him. And he was home for good. But we know he has to go back, and he's doing what he has to do," said Cindy Lamb.

In the meantime, Lamb says he's just enjoying every day.

Lamb says he's no hero; he's just doing a job to keep the troops safe. He has to be back at Camp Pendleton in California on the May 20th.

Lamb says he'll be playing a lot of golf, going to the lake with his wife and playing lots of tee-ball with the boys.