There I stood in a crowded room
A room with thousands of others waiting
Waiting for their loved ones to arrive
All were anticipating the moment
The moment the first man or woman walked through the doors
The doors of separation
Separation of husbands and wives, fathers and daughters, mothers and sons, brothers and sisters

As the doors opened
They opened the sound of applause that could be heard for miles beyond
Beyond the applause were tears
Tears that have been built up for many months
Sometimes months without any communication between them and their families
Families, including mine, in that one room started searching for their very own American hero
American heroes dressed alike
So alike it might have been difficult to tell them apart without noticing their face

Within a few seconds soldiers located their families
Their families greeted them with hugs and kisses
Kisses that meant more now than before
Before I knew it my hero was walking my way
Away for so many months I still recognized him easily

He hugged me and I hugged him
He and I were both in tears
Tears running down our faces
Faces that were once separated by cities, states, oceans, and even countries

It was an amazing feeling
The feeling you get when you know your family is a whole again
Again the day will come where they have to go back
Go back to defending our country, defending our freedom, and even defending us

The doors of separation were no longer
No longer would there be separation
Separation of husbands and wives, fathers and daughters, mothers and sons, brothers and sisters
For Now