ruth, ponce, paid, in, raffle, tickets, to, win, chance, give, out, first, kiss, returning, th, engineer, combat, battalion, soldiers, her, boyfriend, sgt, frank, batts, was, lucky, man, deployed, iraq, december, returned, last, night, schofield, barracks, music, just, too, loud, year-old, thomas, dooley, but, his, mother, heather, looked, hopeful, as, she, watched, husband, spc, stephen, appear, among, troops, with, they, were, family, members, who, attended, ceremony, welcoming, after, year, s, deployment, became, ecstatic, loved, ones, enter, gymnasium, david, hurling, sister, davian, wave, miniature, american, flags, wait, return, dad, he, other, from, staff, adam, bills, flanked, by, wife, lora, daughter, christianna, spent, repairing, roads, bridges, building, facilities, u, post, byron, moyer, extends, hand, son, easton, holds, gauge, stevie, sons, reunited, departed, pick, up, gear, yesterday, mission, rebuild, nearly