Home plate's a little piece of home.(young soldier back home from Iraq)

Rawboned, lean, about 6 feet tall.

Looked like a shortstop, moved like one, used to be one.

Now he's an outfielder, and he laughed when he explained why. More on that in a minute.

He had been awake most of 24 hours. He started the day on the far side of the world. With other soldiers, he left Iraq. In civilian clothes, he flew from Kuwait to Ireland. There he changed into the U.S. Army's desert khakis. There was a combat patch "1" under an American flag on his right shoulder; on his chest, his name, NELL. Now he stood at gate G5 in Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Waiting.

Waiting to go home.

After eight months in Iraq.

Ten miles from Saddam Hussein's spider hole.