Soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Battalion's, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment relax on the helicopter landing pad at Forward Operating Base Lagman, Afghanistan, as they wait for a Chinook helicopter ride to Kandahar Air Field on the first leg of their trip home to Vicenza, Italy, after a year deployment to Operation Enduring Freedom, March 20, 2006. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

Pfc. Jeremy Monteloene holds his daughter, Jaden, and son, Emrick, after arriving to his home on Rose Barracks, Germany after a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan. Jeremy saw his son for the first time in person as he was deployed during Emrick's birth, Apr. 8, 2014. (Joshua L. DeMotts/Stars and Stripes)

Staff Sgt. Herman Haynie, wife Rita and daughter Ila embrace during a redeployment ceremony in Bamberg on Wednesday, July 31, 2013. Members of the 16th Sustainment Brigade spent nine months in Afghanistan, training Afghan forces. (John Vandiver/Stars and Stripes)

Soldiers from Combined Task Force Raider lower the American flag in front of Forward Operating Base Sweeney and prepare to raise the Afghan flag. The flag changing was part of a formal handover of the base from U.S. troops to Afghan troops, Mar. 31, 2013.  (Alex Pena/Stars and Stripes)

Col. Mark "Max" Maxwell gets two big hugs from son David, 11, and wife Mary following his May 2, 2013 return with V Corps troops to Wiesbaden, Germany, from Afghanistan. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

Sgt. Kyle Ashton with Scout platoon, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment hugs his mother, Gayle, as his wife Jessica Ashton, left, looks on and his father, Ron Ashton, takes a photo during a coming home ceremony at Fort Drum, N.Y., March 6, 2012. (Laura Rauch/Stars and Stripes)

Spc. Raymond Robinson, left, and Cpl. John Buneta, along with other members of Company C, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment pile into a bus  after arriving in the night at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan on their way to Fort Drum, N.Y. Feb. 27, 2012. (Laura Rauch/Stars and Stripes)

Cpl. David Gardner of Company C, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment folds a flag on Feb. 25, 2012, at Combat Outpost Nalgham, Afghanistan, as his platoon prepares to redeploy to Fort Drum, N.Y. (Laura Rauch/Stars and Stripes)

Pfc. Garret Schneider of Company C, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment  greets his wife Mariah and their daughter, Adilynn, on March 6, 2012, was deployed to the Kandahar province. (Laura Rauch/Stars and Stripes)