"How does a mother send her son off to a war-torn place with nothing but uncertainty of what lies ahead? It’s just not natural. As mothers, we cry when they get on the school bus for kindergarten, cry when they achieve their first soccer goal or home run, cry when they go to the prom, and cry when we leave them at college for the first time. . . Even with this understanding, watching your son drive away in his Army convoy is a feeling that defies words. As you stand there in the cold morning air, you feel immense pride for the man he has become and at the same time the immense loss of the little boy he once was. . . thousands, even millions, of mothers have sent their sons to war. It’s an ageless event that has been happening almost as long as time itself, and yet I never gave it much thought. Until today."

Auma's Son spends 15 mos. in Iraq

"Finally our eyes met and I knew he was really home. After a final moment of military pageantry, the battalion commander gave the order to break formation and we all rushed to embrace our soldiers. Hugging Adam again and knowing that he had made it safely back to U.S. soil was a feeling that I can’t possibly describe. We were so incredibly blessed and yet, while I was overwhelmed with personal relief for Adam, my heart ached knowing that not all of our Maine soldiers had come home."

Crowds Cheer to Welcome Maine's National Guard Troops Home!