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It's been a little more than a year since George Heath left the safe confines of the United States to patrol the waters and offshore oil platforms off Bahrain. This was his third long stint tour of duty in regions of the Middle East. His wife Torey, son Brendyn and daughter Breelyn eagerly awaited his safe return here in Tehachapi and spent their first Christmas ever without him.
“It's wonderful to be home again,” George Heath shared. “Words can't express how glad I am to be back.  And, as difficult as it was to be away for over a year, having family close for Torey and the kids made it easier on me knowing they weren't alone. But, boy do I have a 'honey-do' list!” he laughed.All smiles, but sitting quietly, it was evident that Brendyn and Breelyn were excited to have dad home. “It sure makes things a little easier on me,” Torey said, smiling too. “My family was super while George was away, but I'm so grateful he's home.” 
Heath's job was to provide protection for the off-shore oil platforms near Bahrain. “Coalition forces (U.S., Canada, Australia and Britain) were on duty 24-7,” he explained.  “Things have changed a lot since '03 (when he was in that area before) and during this last year I never felt that my life was in immediate danger.  High threat, yes. But immediate danger, no.”
Like any high stress job, Heath cautioned about complacency. “You simply can't allow yourself to become complacent,” he said. “If you do, something terrible often happens that brings you back to the reality of where you are and what you're doing.”
Talking a bit about conditions and people with whom he came in contact in Bahrain, Heath was thoughtful before he spoke. “We all tend to suffer from short term memory,” he finally said. “We tend to forget what transpired, let's say, between '91 and '03 and the real truth of how things became what they are.  As Americans, we think it should be easy for these folks to make the transition from living under Saddam Husain's rule and being liberated.  But they never knew about things like integrity, freedom, etc. They are progressing, but it's not as easy as we think it ought to be.”
“The biggest thing for morale for troops away from home is mail,” Heath stressed. While e-mail made his life easier, not everyone there has the luxury of anything but basic electricity, he explained. “You don't think about how much you enjoy running water and even toilet facilities - until you don't have them, that is. That's why mail and care packages are so important to everyone.”
During his last tour, Heath was awarded the Chief Financial Officer Award for Excellence (a Coast Guard-wide award) as well as a Meritorious Service Medal (from his unit). And while he's quietly proud of his accomplishments, “the awards don't hold a candle to being home with my family,” he said.
Heath who is well-versed at port assessments (deciding what facilities any given port has for protection purposes etc.) will be stationed at San Pedro for the next four years and doesn't anticipate that he'll be deployed for another long tour. “I'll be home probably a couple of times during the week and on weekends,” he said smiling. “I've got a lot of soccer and basketball games to attend (plus work on the honey-do list).