Talk about being at the right place at the right time. I was at a friend’s house when Lydia came by to visit her. She asked if I had ever shot a redeployment ceremony (for those who are not military, that is when soldiers come home from a deployment).
The last time I had the opportunity to shoot one was at Fort Hood in 2011 and I was thrilled that she asked me document this happy occasion. The excitement and nervous energy is like nothing else I have ever experienced. Lydia’s husband deployed with the 4th Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment (Pistoleros) to the Persian Gulf 9 months ago and this was the last group of the battalion to come home.
I had been to the location of the ceremony once before and it was at night and my husband was driving. I had an idea on how to get there so I left early in case I took a wrong turn. Luckily, my memory was intact and I found the building with no problem. There were 104 soldiers on this flight and I knew that there would be a lot of families so I called Lydia to see where she was so that I could get to her quickly. Well, I didn’t even wait for an answer because she was easy to find. She was talking to friends and had the biggest smile I had ever seen and she was giddy.
The girls were ready for their daddy to come home but having to wait is not something kids like to do. They just wanted him home and Victoria seemed a bit overwhelmed with all of the people.
She was not letting go of her mommy.
We got the word that the plane was about 5 minutes from landing so we made our way out into the heat to watch and wait. The first thing I noticed were several AH-64 Apache helicopters lined up on the airfield.
It was taking quite a bit of time so waiting in the shade was the best option.
After what seemed like forever, because that’s how it feels when you are anxiously waiting for your soldier to arrive, the plane landed and made it’s way to the stopping point.
Getting into position. When the Division Commander gets to the plane you know it’s almost time.
The anticipation is stifling.
There is always a weight that is removed from the family when you know the plane has landed.
More waiting.
Waiting is hard on the little ones.
One guess why she is so happy…
HE’S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy and relieved to see their daddy.
If you haven’t caught on yet, the key word for all of this is waiting. They only got to see him as he was walking by and now they have to wait while he turns in some of his gear. We went back inside to wait for about 30 minutes for the official ceremony where he will be released and “given back” to his family. This has to be the hardest part because you know he’s close by but you can’t physically touch him or even see him.
Keeping the kids busy while they wait.
We heard the smoke machine and knew that it was finally time for the final group of Pistoleros to come in and the quick ceremony to begin. What an awesome feeling as we watched it all unfold.
So close.
They are getting into position and she is beyond happy and excited.
All of the emotions start running together.
This is the last step before families can find their loved ones.
They know what’s next and they are ready.
GO TO YOUR FAMILY!
Together again.
Now it’s time to just enjoy that he’s home. Victoria was still unsure about it all but her daddy was patient and slowly worked on getting her comfortable with him again.
There’s the smile.
Daddy’s little girl.
She wasn’t letting go.
Every daddy hopes that their daughter looks at him just like this.
His girls.
They are not letting him out of their sight.
It was time to head out to get the rest of his bags and then head home to start trying to find their new normal.
Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this special day in your family. I loved every second I spent with you all and I also got caught up in the emotional moments. Yes, there were tears all around. I hope you are enjoying your time together and can’t wait to see you out and about together.
…because every picture tells a story…
Karen - WOW, just beautiful!!! You did an amazing job capturing this family reunion!