Plymouth Honors City Employees Who Served in Afghanistan

Plymouth police officer Jeff Jones was back on duty Sunday for St. Patrick's Day, wearing a different uniform than he had sported for much of the past year. 

Jones, an Army reservist in the Jackson-based 303rd Military Police Company, returned from Afghanistan in January after deployment in May 2012.

Jones and fellow soldier Anthony Atiyeh, a municipal services employee for the city, were honored Monday at a Plymouth City Commission meeting.

Mayor Pro Tem Mike Wright, a Vietnam veteran, issued a proclamation for the veterans, lauding their service accomplishments and safe return home, and issued both a commemorative coin bearing the Operation Enduring Freedom ribbon and a message thanking them for their service.

Jones said while he was deployed overseas, the backing he received from his Plymouth colleagues provided some peace of mind.

"I didn't have to worry about anything," he said.

Jones said Police Chief Al Cox checked in with his wife throughout his deployment for updates and to lend support.

Now, he says, he looks forward to being home "for a while."

Atiyeh, a staff sergeant in the Southfield-based 645th Area Support Group, which deployed in April 2011 and returned in March 2012, said his co-workers in Plymouth kept him abreast of local goings-on to help ensure a smooth transition when he returned to his day job.