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RETURNED TO THE BORDERLAND
AFTER BEING DEPLOYED FOR NINE
MONTHS IN AFGHANISTAN.
THIS IS THE SAME UNIT THAT LOST
10 OF THEIR OWN WHILE OVERSEAS.
NEWSCHANNEL 9'S KAY RECEDE HAS
THIS REPORT LIVE IN THE DATA
CENTER. KAY?
JACKIE -- YOU COULD FEEL THE
EXCITEMENT IN THE AIR AS LOVED
ONES FINALLY GOT THEIR CHANCE TO
THROW THEIR ARMS AROUND
THEIR SOLDIERS WHO HAVE BEEN
AWAY FOR ALMOST A YEAR.
IT WAS A HUG... A KISS ... AND
MOST TIMES A TEARFUL EMBRACE
AS EL PASO FAMILIES GATHERED
INSIDE THE BIGGS
AIRFIELD BUILDING TO WELCOME
THEIR SOLDIERS HOME.
"So yeah, we're excited! I can't
wait to see him. I'm like
smiling and grinning
." LIKE MANY FAMILIES IN THE
ROOM... MELISSA AGUIRRE HAS
BEEN ADJUSTING TO LIFE WITHOUT
HER HUSBAND.
"There's good days and bad days.
But, you know, we survived and
we
missed him everyday but we did
good." IT WAS JUST AS
CHALLENGING FOR
THE MEN AND WOMEN IN
AFGHANISTAN.
"We had Skype and we had Tango
and online but nothing's it's
not the same, you
know, face-to-face." STAFF
SERGEANT NICHOLAS PAUGAM
HAS BEEN AWAY SO LONG HE DID NOT
GET A CHANCE TO MEET
HIS CHILDREN...
UNTIL TODAY.
"I'm very excited. My family's
here." STAFF SERGEANT B ANTONIO
BUSTION...
"My two-year-old daughter is
here, you know what I'm saying,
and she
doesn't even remember Dad." HAS
ALSO BEEN REUNITED WITH
HIS KIDS.
"I don't think she realized who
I was. I lost 60 pounds on
deployment so she
just kind of looked at me like
hmmm." FOR THE MANY FAMILIES WHO
HAVE BEEN REUNITED ...
THERE ARE TEN WHO WILL NOT SEE
THEIR LOVED ONE AGAIN.
"The loss of a soldier is hard
on everybody." TEN SOLDIERS FROM
THIS UNIT LOST THEIR LIVES IN
AFGHANISTAN.
"They're gone but they'll never
be forgotten from anyone in
1/1." AND
THEIR WORK TO KEEP THIS COUNTRY
SAFE WILL REMAIN WITH
ALL OF THESE FAMILIES IN EL
PASO.
FOR THE FAMILIES WHO HAVE LOST A
SOLDIER IN WAR... FORT BLISS
FOR THE FAMILIES WHO HAVE LOST A
SOLDIER IN WAR... FORT BLISS
OFFICIALS TELL US THEY PROVIDE
MANY SERVICES TO HELP THESE
FAMILIES GET BACK ON THEIR FEET.
LIVE FROM THE DATA CENTER KAY
RECEDE NEWSCHANNEL 9.