"She is my big, tough Marine"

The Norwalk Advocate:

The first thing U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Aimee Dacres did after returning from seven months in Iraq was hug her family, take off her fatigues and go out for a steak dinner.

She then proceeded to the nearest shoe store where she bought seven pairs of new shoes.

All high heels, except for one.

"She's my big, tough Marine," said Aimee's mother, Ann Dacres. "But she's still very feminine."

Aimee Dacres, a 2003 Stamford High School graduate, returned to Camp Lejeune, N.C., last month looking like the same petite, blonde 20-year-old that left in August.

But everything from walking on paved sidewalks to getting Starbucks coffee to driving a two-door sports car felt and looked a little different, Aimee Dacres said.

Dacres, who is in her third year of a four-year enlistment, took a leave this week and drove up to Stamford for a visit with family and friends.

Before she reached her home on Forest Street, Dacres was greeted with a welcome home sign at Exit 6 of Interstate 95, made by her mother, and Michelle Smalls of Stamford, whose son also served in Iraq.

For the past week, Dacres ate at her favorite restaurants, partied with old friends and went into New York for bargain shopping on Canal Street.

"It seems like (Stamford) is coming up," Dacres said. "I'm kind of mad to see the Stamford Diner is a bank, though."

Dacres' mom said she was told that soldiers often act withdrawn or moody when they return from combat zones.

"But Aimee wasn't," Ann Dacres said. "It was great to see her, and hug her and know she was safe. It was great to watch her sleep."

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