HLN's Robin Meade salutes the troops every day on Morning Express. But on Sunday, she was able to do it in person at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. More than 200 families waited anxiously for their loved ones to come home after a year in Afghanistan.
Around 2:30 p.m., the 101st "Screaming Eagles" finally landed to the cheers and tears of their friends and family. You could see each of them searching the crowd for a familiar face and then the big smile as their eyes locked on a spouse, child or parent. Then comes what must be an agonizing few minutes for these families. The unit gets in formation to hear a few words from their commander with their loved ones just feet away. Finally, they're dismissed and the crowd rushes for that first kiss, first glimpse of a newborn or a tearful hug.
In this particular crowd was Blackhawk pilot Capt. Thomas Cai, CW3 Chris Collis and Capt. Felicia Coverson.
Cai is a native of China who joined the military in 2002 after becoming a U.S. citizen. On this past deployment, Cai had to take the controls of a chopper after his co-pilot was hit by small arms fire and lost consciousness. He not only managed to land safely, but he called for and rode on the MEDEVAC to make sure his comrade got to safety as well. Of course, he’s always been a hero to his girlfriend and parents, who teared up as they finally got a chance to welcome him home.
Collis fell out of formation into the loving arms of his wife, Niki, and their three children. He’s served in the military for 17 years and this was his third deployment. He’s currently working toward a degree in criminal law.
On the other side of the hangar was Coverson, reuniting with her husband Cliff, their daughter and 10 other relatives. Cliff welcomed her home with the perfect camo accessory, a new diamond ring!
Of course, HLN had TV cameras there as well. You can see the video of the reunions and learn more about these soldiers in an upcoming Salute to Troops special.
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