July 28th 2018 started with excited nerves and Texas heat. For Jacque it was not an ordinary Saturday morning - it was the day she was going to finally get her husband back from a long combat deployment overseas. We drove down to the field to join all other families waiting for their loved ones by the brigades' courtyard. 

But time just kept ticking as we stood there: 10, 10:30, 10:45, 11, 11:45, 12 - the crowd was growing impatient, and it felt so unfair that these families had yet to wait more. They have waited for days, with constant delays and changes of plans, making it feel like today was never going to come. 

But the day and the moment were finally here.

Seeing the buses pull up, you could feel the tension, and the tears build up. Jacque was not holding back her tears back any longer, longing for that warm embrace from Josh. Seeing the men marching around the corner was probably the longest moments in the lives of Jacque and many other families that day. And finally - the "fall out" command - the best words of the long and drawn out morning. Jacque finally got her Josh back!

No matter how hard these deployments get, the moment you hold each other again, makes everything all better! 

Welcome home, SPC Combs! So glad to have you back!