Homecoming

After flying more than ten hours from Germany, I found myself sitting in an airport in Atlanta, Georgia. A group of soldiers began to queue up to board the plane as a flight attendant made the announcement that they were all returning home from Iraq. There were mixed reactions from the people gathered. Some immediately stood and began to cheer vociferously, others clapped only long and loud enough to be polite, and still others pointedly ignored the clamor.

My curiosity aroused, I began to follow the youngest looking soldier with my eyes. He seemed tired. As our connection flight deplaned in Detroit I decided to follow him to see who would be there to meet him. At first he walked slowly and stoically. It occured to me that there may be no one at all waiting for him. We stepped on a people mover and the thought quickly disappeared as he began to walk more quickly, finally breaking into a trot.

We boarded an escalator and began our ascent to the baggage area. He took the stairs two at a time, clearly impatient. Just before he stepped off of the escalator, however, he managed to bridle his excitement, walking towards a couple who must have been his parents with measured steps and a military bearing. After a short embrace, they walked off, talking quietly about superficial things.