Moorestown Man Who Served In Kosovo, Was Quarantined Comes Home

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Major John D. Ferrie has been away from his family for a long time before, but this was a little different. When he returned to his Moorestown home over the weekend, he arrived in the middle of a stay-at-home order that had been issued to prevent the spread of new coronavirus.

And he was coming out of a two-week quarantine at Camp Westbrook, New Mexico.

“He came home when he was supposed to,” his wife, Kim said.

But coming home means he returned to the United States on time. Home means nothing went wrong with the mission itself.

However, upon arriving at Fort Bliss, Texas, he and everyone in his Army National Guard Unit had to be quarantined for two weeks. His unit had been on a peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, serving alongside soldiers from Germany and Italy.

No one tested positive for the coronavirus, and they were able to leave on time. But it was still another two weeks before he was able to see his wife and two daughters, 9-year-old Eva and 15-year-old Grace.

“They are thrilled,” Kim Ferrie said of their daughters’ anticipation of seeing their father. “He plays basketball with Eva. Grace misses their long walks and their father-daughter talks.”

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Ferrie’s mission in Kosovo began in May 2019. Outside of a week in November, he hasn’t seen his family since. A lot has changed since then.

“We couldn’t go to the restaurants. We had to just live in our barracks,” John Ferrie said of the last two weeks. “We used to be able to go out for our meals, but now we have to go, get them and come right back.”

He noted the social distancing that is in effect everywhere, even in the barracks.

“It’s scary. Everyone’s at home. People outside don’t acknowledge their neighbor. It seems a little bizarre to me,” John Ferrie said. “I would rather be at home, but I can’t just leave.”

He was worried about his family, including his in-laws who live about a mile away. He doesn’t have to worry now, though, and neither does his family.

Ferrie was away from his family for nearly a year in 2008 when he was serving in Iraq. That was a more worrisome time for his family, as he was serving in the middle of a war-torn country.

For the most part, the mission to Kosovo brought less anxiety, but a pandemic that has gripped the world in the last few months has increased anxiety, even when it comes to the everyday things.

The everyday things are what John Ferrie anticipates when he comes home from serving. Trips to Wawa and Starbucks, and eating pizza with his family are the things that keep John Ferrie going. He’s hoping that most of those things return to normal in the next few months. But even during this time, he will always has his family.

“I’m looking forward to being with my family and seeing my kids again,” John Ferrie said. “I’m sure they’ve changed in the last few months. … I just want to relax and be able to talk to them regularly.”

He’ll be home now for a little more than a month. A joyful weekend reunion at the Bordentown Armory can possibly turn into an everyday routine in a world where nothing seems to be normal anymore. Major John D. Ferrie has come home.

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