MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Lance Cpl. Zachery Homewood, 20, a combat-wounded Marine from Cedar Falls, Iowa, wasn't expecting to see his parents burst from a crowd of cheering families in the barracks parking lot. But there they were, as real as hugs and kisses could make them."It's wonderful," Debby Homewood said tearfully, ready to hug her son again at a moment's notice as he prepared to disembark a bus with roughly 50 others from Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment - one of Operation Iraqi Freedom's most battle-scarred battalions. "When they go over there, you pray and wait for this day to come," she said. "It's unbelievable to be here today and experience this moment, not only with him, but with all the other families," said Dick Homewood, Zachery's father, whose timely reunion with his son was made possible through the charity and initiative of Lorie McBrien, a fellow Iowa native who barely knew the family.McBrien, 40, of Laguna Niguel, had been looking for a pen pal or anyone in Iraq she could help out. Her own son was in college, safe at home. She wanted to do something for all the other sons and daughters serving in Iraq."I didn't just want to send a package over there and not know if anyone got it," McBrien said.That's when a cousin from Iowa introduced her to Dirk Homewood. Dirk and her cousin ran for the University of Northern Iowa's track team, and they were staying with McBrien for a track meet."He told me he had a brother who was wounded in Iraq," McBrien said. After a letter to introduce herself, and some advice from the Marine Corps Web site, she began sending him packages."It means a lot," Cpl. Homewood said. "So few seem to care that we're over there."It was mostly the essentials like batteries, sunscreen and foot powder. She also sent printouts of his hometown newspaper as well as candy bars and beef jerky."We always had food, but it was nice to have something from back home," Homewood said.She also kept in contact with Homewood's family in Cedar Falls, Iowa. When she heard that his parents weren't planning to come out to meet him in California, she rallied her co-workers, solicited donations and made reservations, so they could greet their youngest son when he got off the bus. Later, after her company heard of her efforts, they picked up the tab for airfare and hotel.McBrien joked that she could do this full time."He was so polite. I think he said thank you a thousand times," McBrien said. "I felt like, 'no, I'm the one who's grateful.'"Homewood, a machine gunner for Weapons Company, had thought that just coming home from Iraq was a big enough birthday present. His birthday was two days before they were scheduled to leave Iraq. "This was a great birthday present," Homewood said. He had just called home earlier to tell them that he had arrived safely. "It was a very big surprise."The parking lot was awash in colorful welcome-home signs. A mountain of seabags and backpacks was slowly being pulled apart. Laughing children, tearful wives and girlfriends mingled while waiting anxiously for a chance to let Marines show their softer side. Camp Hurricane Point in Ramadi was home for seven months to Homewood and the battalion's Marines and corpsmen. They were among units in Iraq targeted most by roadside bombs and hit-and-run attacks from insurgents. The reunion was McBrien's last care package to Homewood, at least for a while. Beholding the magnitude of the present she had delivered gripped her heart."It's so exciting," McBrien said, her eyes red from crying. "I really can't explain it. I didn't expect the amount of emotion that would be here today. But all these Marines and their families, even being remotely connected is such a joy to me."McBrien's next care packages to Iraq will hit closer to home. Another cousin in Iowa is heading to Iraq with his Marine Reserve unit.