Bringing them Home

Last night, my husband and I drove to Selfridge Air Force National Guard Base near Utica, MI. My son was coming home from his short deployment to Afghanistan. He left from the airport in Detroit, so we didn't know quite what to expect. We were directed to the dining hall at the base. It reminded me of a hotel conference room, not a dining hall. We found that there were over 300 airmen (and women), returning that night. All of them had some family there, there was an estimated 1000 people waiting in the dining area. We were impressed that there were refreshments for the families. Kudos to Dunkin Donuts, Frito-Lay, Hershey and Chex.

Many people were dressed patriotically and/or had signs, banners, and balloons in anticipation of their loved ones.

The 300 airmen arrived in sets of 5-7 after they went through customs and processing. It was fun to watch the many happy reunions.

Finally after a 2 hour wait, Thomas arrived 299 out of 300 to arrive! First thing he wanted was a Halo Burger (a local hamburger chain), we were happy to oblige.  We are glad to have him home!