“Young women wore colorful new dresses with high heels and false eyelashes. They clashed against the parking lot backdrop, dust whirling around them. There were babies too young to have ever met their fathers, parents holding each other in anticipation as they waited for their sons and daughters to arrive home from war. Cleve's unit--Third Battalion, Eighth Marines--had been gone seven months. Though everyone was excited to see those who'd survived, we also anticipated the sadness that would inevitably wash over us when the buses emptied too soon.” WarIraq WarHomecomingDeploymentMilitary FamiliesDeplloyment QuotesMilitary Homecoming Book:Alive Day: A Memoir Source: Alive Day: A Memoir
“Brittany was lonely. She'd had Dillon during Carson's first deployment, and when he returned, he didn't seem very interested in getting to know his son. Then, half a year later, he was gone again. The baby could walk now, and Brittany had gotten used to being a single mom. She would have to adjust her life to fit a husband into it again.” WarIraq WarDeploymentMilitary LifeMilitary SpouseMilitary WifeMilitary Families Book:Alive Day: A Memoir Source: Alive Day: A Memoir