Dec. 2, 2004 – A St. Croix woman woke in the night to the barking of dogs and the sight of a uniformed figure standing at her door Tuesday. When she opened the door, Pamela James said she found the unexpected visitor was her 19-year-old son, David James, back from the war in Afghanistan, in time to attend her wedding.
"I was sleeping and I heard the dogs barking and I heard a pounding on the door. So I'm wondering, 'What's happening this time of the night? Who's knocking on my door?'" the mother said. When she opened door, there was her son, still dressed in his Army fatigues.
The appearance of the young ammunitions specialist detached with the 172 U.S. Army Special Forces unit was a surprise to his mother. She said he had said earlier he would try to come home in time for the wedding, but didn't make mention of it afterwards.
But the soldier said his mission was to fly home in time for the ceremony.
"My mom is getting married. That's why I came down this time: to see her get married," he said.
David James added, however, that the first thing he did upon reaching home was to dash over to his favorite fast-food spot for a plate of seasoned rice and Caesar salad.
He also said he has felt relatively safe in his duties, delivering ammunition to special forces in Afghanistan. The area where he is located is well protected, he said, and even though it was his first field assignment after leaving basic training, James said drill instructors had prepared him for what to expect in the field.
James is a 2003 graduate of St. Croix Central High School.

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