


















This Veterans Day, let's look back at some emotional homecomings for our service members.
U.S. Army Spc. Devin Williams waves a flag on Jul. 16, 2003 after returning home to Savannah, Georgia from Iraq.
Sergeant Coy Hurley is welcomed home to North Carolina after returning from a year-long deployment in Afghanistan, on Mar. 16, 2010.
Vermont National Guard Spc. Travis Cook, of Bellows Falls, Vermont, sits with his wife and son during a homecoming ceremony on Dec. 2, 2010.
U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden welcome home soldiers at Joint Base Andrews, marking the end of the war in Iraq, Dec. 20, 2011.
Marine Maj. Michael Miller, of State College, Pennsylvania, gets a kiss from his son after landing in Kaneohe, Hawaii, on May 8, 2006.
Staff Sgt. David Stovell holds his seven-month old baby as more than 100 Soldiers of the 1st Battalion 185th Infantry Regiment, Charlie Company return to the Joint Forces Training Base from Baghdad, Iraq on Mar. 6, 2008 in Los Alamitos, California.
Nichole Merkt kisses her husband Spc. Jake Merkt as they celebrate during a welcome home ceremony for U.S. Army troops returning from Afghanistan on Jul. 9, 2011 in Fort Carson, Colorado.
A color guard is seen as U.S. Army soldiers arrive at their home base of Fort Hood, Texas, after being part of one of the last American combat units to exit from Iraq on Dec. 16, 2011.
U.S. Army Specialist Cory Davis is greeted by his grandmother as he arrives in Bangor, Maine, after being one of the last American combat units to exit from Iraq on Dec. 16, 2011.
Two sailors embrace as they meet in the middle of Broadway in New York City during the Operation Welcome Home parade on Jun. 10, 1991 for returning Gulf War troops.
Master Sgt., 140th Wing, Colorado Air National Guard, Jerry Mears, hugs his daughter at Buckley Air Force Base after returning from Iraq on Jan. 23, 2008.
Soldiers from the Maine Army National Guard's 133rd Engineer Battalion return home to U.S. soul on Feb. 23, 2005.
Major Laura Byrd returns home on Apr. 16, 2013, and surprises her daughter at Sumter Christian School in Sumter, South Carolina.
A pregnant woman waits with her son at a homecoming event following a12-month deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom on Aug. 18, 2009.
US Army SPC Justin Little embraces his son at a welcome home ceremony for soldiers returning from Iraq on May 17, 2016 at Fort Drum, New York.
2 1/2 year-old Wesely Stocker gets a big hug from her dad Michah Stocker as he returned home with the Bravo Company 2-135th General Support Aviation Battalion after a year long deployment in Afghanistan on May 30, 2012.
Soldier returning to the US walks through a crowd of greeters at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on Mar. 12, 2012.
LCT Allen Boudreaux hugs his kids as he arrives back at Fort Carson, Colorado for a homecoming ceremony on Sept. 13, 2016.
Soldiers stand in formation along with a therapy dog as they wait to be released at a Welcome Home Ceremony for 4th Brigade Combat Team soldiers on Nov. 4, 2012 in Fort Carson, Colorado.
Laura is a senior photo editor for BuzzFeed News and is based in Los Angeles.
Contact Laura Geiser at laura.geiser@buzzfeed.com.
Got a confidential tip? 👉 Submit it here