CARY – Poland native Karolina Tohill does not mind grabbing a large gun, getting on a Black Hawk helicopter and defending America.
The 22-year-old Cary resident just returned from a six-month tour of Afghanistan as a door gunner for the Army and received a hero’s welcome Saturday from Warriors’ Watch Riders, friends and family. Tohill’s stay is brief – she will head to Germany on Dec. 30 to finish the remaining months of her four-year term.
“I did not expect any of it. I was so surprised and it was all amazing,” Tohill said of the welcoming she received. “I was crying like a little baby. I couldn’t imagine a better homecoming.”
Tohill does not mind heading back to Germany, though. After enlisting in the Army after graduating Cary-Grove High School in 2011, Tohill has embraced the military and even volunteered to be a gunner on a Black Hawk helicopter in Afghanistan after initially being given a potentially less dangerous designation.
Tohill had to go through thorough testing to take on the responsibility and she was the only woman in her company to perform in that role.
“I was scared to make a decision like that but it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” she said. “You want to deploy and do what you signed up for. I knew it was something I could do.”
After her four-year term is complete, Tohill said she plans on going back to school and joining the ROTC with plans on pursuing a career in the military. As a result of her service, Tohill received full U.S. citizenship.
She was not the only soldier to receive a warm welcome Saturday.
After welcoming Tohill, Warriors’ Watch made its way to Prairie Grove to welcome back Michael Ridge Jr., who finished a nine-month tour of Afghanistan. Ridge served as a combat infantryman in the 101st Airborne Division during his time in Afghanistan.
Ridge too will have to head back to serve in January, finishing out the remainder of his contract at a base in Kentucky. The 20-year-old Prairie Ridge High School graduate said he has appreciated the opportunity give back to the country.
“It was always something that has been in the back of my mind. I just kind of wanted to do my part,” he said about joining the Army after high school. “We’re trained for anything out there, but nothing can really prepare you for deployment. It’s something you can learn from. It keeps you humble.”