U.S. Marine Cpl. Mike Nicholson emerged from the Tampa International Airport Airside F shuttle today to a resonating roar from about 1,000 people welcoming the wounded soldier home after he lost both legs and his left arm in an explosion in Afghanistan seven months ago.

Nicholson slowly pushed is own wheelchair down the gauntlet of people thanking him for his service and sacrifice. The 22-year-old Tampa native and Plant High School graduate greeted everyone with a smile and handshake, appearing at times to be overcome with emotion.

Supporters closed in around him as he made his way through the terminal.

Michelle Brooks said she came here for support. Her son is a Marine who fought in Afghanistan. She doesn’t know Nicholson.

“I’m paying it back instead of paying it forward,” she said. And with tears forming in her eyes, she said, “This doesn’t feel any different than if it was my own son.”

For the young and vibrant-looking Nicholson, this is his first trip home since his injury.

His grueling rehabilitation has been anything but easy at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. — hours upon hours of strenuous work just to be able to move from one spot to another. With a Marine’s determination, though, Nicholson has made tremendous improvements, and it appears his bad times may be behind him.

Nicholson, who is still with the Marines, is home for a short visit but will soon head back to Walter Reed for more therapy.

The first thing on his list of things to do when he arrived in Tampa: Take an afternoon ride down Bayshore Boulevard.

So his escort, comprised of some 50 flag-bearing motorcycles ridden by representatives of Patriot Guards from both sides of the bay, patrol cars and other well-wishers, accompanied the Marine from the airport to downtown, where the procession headed south along the iconic Bayshore Boulevard.

Along the way were hundreds of people holding welcome-home signs and American flags that snapped in the riptide wind.

Nicholson’s greatest challenge in his two-plus decades of life began while he was on patrol in Afghanistan on July 6, when his squad came under attack and an improvised explosive device was detonated.

After the welcome-home ceremonies concluded at Christ the King Catholic Church in South Tampa, Nicholson headed home to the house where he grew up in South Tampa. It’s not the same, though: A community volunteer effort under way since August led to the construction of a 300-square-foot addition to the house with amenities to accommodate Nicholson’s condition.

Richard Hartmann, the Tampa architect who designed the addition, said he and the Nicholson family attend Christ the King Catholic Church, though he has never met the wounded Marine.

The call for help went out, and the entire community stepped up, he said. Dozens of subcontractors called offering services free of charge. Materials were donated at every turn. The project, which normally would have cost about $75,000, ended up costing $13,000, he said. That was paid for out of fund that aids wounded veterans.