Welcome Home! {an OpLove Homecoming}

As always with OpLove Homecomings & Sessions, nametapes and names have been blurred on this blog post to protect privacy. All Homecomings are shot documentary-style, and  select images from the Ceremony are posted unedited so that family & friends may share in the excitement of their Soldier's homecoming without delay. For more information on OpLove please contact Missie Jurick Photography or visit the OpLove Website & Blog.

{Operation:Love ReUnited offical disclaimer - "The photos and other content of this publication do not constitute or imply any endorsement or recommendation by the Department of Defense."}

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It was an absolutely GORGEOUS day yesterday, completely fitting for the celebratory mood for many Fort Bragg families who finally got the chance to welcome home their Soldiers from Afghanistan.

It was a photo-finish for me to get to Green Ramp to capture these priceless moments for the M family. As with all redeployments, you just never know when that plane is going to land...

 all day it looked like this one was going to be right on schedule; Perfect, because I was spending the afternoon photographing another family, and was going to have just enough time to meet these two sweet girls & their beautiful Mom. As it turns out, the plane arrived a half hour early!  Thankfully I just happened to be running a little early from my session (and happen to have a bit of a lead foot....shhhhh, don't tell the MPs!). I pulled into the parking lot just as they announced 15 minutes until the plane's arrival. Sweet!

 Miss T was asleep when I got there, but the Band started playing and the excitment in the air built quickly so that nap didn't last long. We all scurried outside, signs & flag in tow, and anxiously looked towards the sky for Daddy's plane to arrive. Just like that, there it was!! And not too long after, the Patriot Guards were lining up, hundreds of Soldiers were departing the plane, and we were all scooting back inside to grab a spot for the Ceremony...

The Soldiers marched in to cheers & applause, and after a few brief remarks, the Army Song, and a prayer it was the moment everyone had been waiting for....

(Ever wonder what "anxious & excited" looks like? These two Wives demonstrated it perfectly!)

C's sign for her Soldier had some specific orders for him. And any Soldier knows the real commander is his Wife. Something tells me he was more than happy to follow these orders....

I just love that huge smile on her face...and I wish I could truly tell you how long she stayed swooped up in her Soldier's embrace; it was the longest, most intense hug I've seen!

There were still plenty of Hugs & Kisses to go around for Miss T and Miss E ... and even a few little presents for them, too. I could have posted a hundred photos from this Homecoming...so sweet...

 WELCOME HOME!!! M family, I am so glad I was able to witness these moments. Congratulations and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!!!  XOXO