GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga.,None — A Loganville soldier, severely wounded in Afghanistan, is finally home for the holidays. On Friday, residents in Gwinnett and Walton counties gave Sgt. 1st Class Mark Allen a homecoming fit for a hero.
Allen has not been home since 2009. He was injured when sniper fire left him with a gunshot wound to the head. Allen has been in recovering in hospitals since the attack.
"We want to make sure he's coming home to a hero's welcome because in our eyes that's exactly what he is," Jeff Goodiel with the Patriot Guard Riders told Channel 2's Kerry Kavanaugh.
Allen's wife, Shannon, waved and smiled at the crowd of Patriot Guard Riders who gathered on Highway 78 in Snellville to provide the escort home. Allen sat in the back of the family's van, which is now handicap-accessible.
A crowd of supporters lined Allen's entire route home to Loganville.
"I felt like it was the right thing to do, to thank him for his service," said Jennifer Truitty.
"He was at war for us. Why not come out and welcome him home?" said her daughter Abbey.
Many who stood along the procession route Friday told Kavanaugh they didn't know Allen but they know what it means to have loved ones home for the holidays.
"They've been waiting for this moment for a long time," said Millie Jasutis.
Community members said they want the Allen family to know they are not alone and their sacrifice will never be forgotten.
"Very, very happy for their family and we'll just be keeping them in our prayers," Truitty said.
"We're so glad to have our soldiers back home," Jasutis said.
The family asked for privacy at their home but friends told Kavanaugh that several organizations stepped up make Allen's home and vehicle handicap accessible.
WSBTV
