Obligations
My number-one obligation was to deploy, kick ass, and come back alive. We succeeded. We brought everybody home safe to their families and to South Carolina.
     — Lt. Col. Deane Pennington

Changes
My daughter turned nineteen and joined the military while I was gone. My one-month-old granddaughter was nine months old when I got back.
     — TSgt. A. J. Jelks

Like No Other
I'd volunteer to go back in a heartbeat. The deployment was an experience like no other. How many other twenty-year-olds can say they've traveled to a war zone to work on a $47 million stealthy aircraft?
     — Amn. Bradley Richardson

Relief
Most memorable event is when we got everybody home. I was in a five-ship package and we pulled in together. We put the chocks in and released the brakes, and it was a huge sense of relief to know we had gotten everybody home—every plane and every person.
     — Lt. Col. Bryan Walkup

Fourth Generation
I am a fourth-generation veteran and my family is very proud of that. Having that kind of history in your family is nothing new with Americans, but it does mean a lot to me. Serving in the military with the caliber of men and women that I do causes you to make very close friendships, which makes it easier to do your job and make the sacrifices we in the military do. Putting it on the line for our country with a friend beside you that feels as close as a brother is a feeling that is hard to explain, and is something I'll never forget.
     — Capt. Jason Charrier